As I Breathe You In
by The Emcee
Summary: Cody/Evan slash Cody felt compelled to go on a walk. He never expected to come across a neko Evan, let alone take the poor kitten into his home.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is for XxPerfectlyRuinedxX, who messaged me requesting this story. It's set in a neko-verse and contains slash, so if you don't like, then don't read. I hope you like it! R&R. Enjoy!

**As I Breathe You In**

Cody walked down Fifth Street, glancing into the windows of the shops he was passing. He didn't usually go on walks – especially not ones that led him downtown – but for some reason, he couldn't shake the urge to just _walk._ Something inside of him nagged him to the point where he just caved, and Cody Rhodes is not one to cave. It rarely ever happens, so for him to just get up and walk due to some random notion was pretty spectacular indeed. But why the hell did he head towards the downtown area? Of all the places he could have headed, why downtown? Downtown was the worst part of town; it was where all of the prostitutes and drug dealers worked their devilish crafts, so it made no sense as to why he had decided to walk there.

He wanted to turn around the go back home, to his apartment; to his files and the presentation he needed to finish for the company tomorrow. But his legs wouldn't allow him to turn around and go back. They had a set destination and they weren't going to turn around until they reached it. Cody sighed and kept walked, eyes focused straight ahead. His was definitely on a mission, but for what? Yelling up ahead brought him out of his thoughts and Cody came back to reality. Shaking his head, he stopped walking and stared at the opened door of the pet shop.

_Sandy's Pet Shop._

What a cheeky name. But the yelling didn't stop and Cody was intrigued and a bit worried. What if someone was getting hurt? He'd feel obligated to help if that was the case. Picking up his pace, he quickly arrived at the pet shop and stepped inside. What he was met with left him speechless and confused, but only for a moment.

A woman, who he assumed was the shopkeeper, towered over a figure on the floor.

The figure on the floor was a neko, a very thin, very shaky neko.

A neko who looked positively terrified.

A neko whose chocolate brown eyes flashed at Cody when he stepped into the shop.

The emotions that he saw in those eyes overwhelmed him. Fear. Panic. Confusion. Relief. So many other emotions as well and they all hit Cody in the stomach. His decision was made in that moment and he stalked forward and grabbed the woman's shoulder.

"Hey! Knock that off! What are you going? You can't just...beat him up." The rolled news paper fell from the woman's hand and she turned around and glared at Cody.

"This is none of your business! I'm free to do as I please to the things I'm in charge of, and this thing's no different!" Cody's eyes narrowed when the woman referred to the neko as a 'thing'. Nekos were people too, they just had cat ears and tails and tendencies. But they were still _human_.

"Actually, it is. Your door isn't locked and the 'open' sign is still up. As a customer, you beating on the neko I'm looking to buy is my business. So back off." The woman's eyes widened and she turned to the neko on the floor, who was staring up at them obviously shocked and confounded. With one last glare at Cody, the woman shook her head and walked away from them.

"He's yours. Take him if you want. I've had enough." Cody looked down at the black haired neko before he looked back at the woman.

"What about payment and stuff?"

"Just get him the hell out of here. He's your problem now, not mine. And that's all I care about." With that, the woman disappeared behind the curtain that separated the shop from the kennels.

Sighing, Cody looked down and gazed softly at the neko on the floor, who was looking unsure and helpless and frightened and just…so… God, Cody couldn't even describe it, but he knew one thing for sure: he was going to take the smaller person home with him. Smiling softly, Cody reached a hand down and offered it to the neko. The brown eyes widened and looked up at him, uncertain.

"Hey there… I'm not going to hurt you. Come on. Let me help you up." The neko stared at the hand for a split second longer before he finally grabbed it, his hand sweaty and shaking. Pulling him up, Cody saw that the neko was wearing too baggy jeans and a torn, worn out shirt. He was still shaking and he had a red mark on his cheek, but other than that, he looked fine.

"I'm Cody. What's your name?" The neko looked at him and he smiled. It was just barely there, but it was there nonetheless and Cody thought he looked a lot better when he smiled.

"Evan."

"Well, Evan, let's get home. It's getting late and-"

"Get him out of my shop now!" Cody winced slightly while Evan all but jumped ten feet in the air. Shaking his head, Cody grabbed Evan's hand gently and tugged him towards the doorway.

"Best get going. Lest she comes back." Evan flinched and quickly followed Cody out of the shop and onto the sidewalk of the downtown area.

Cody had no idea what he was getting himself into, but he had helped someone out, a really cute someone who had the most gorgeous brown eyes, and that was all that mattered. At least, that was what he was hoping.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm kind of surprised that so many of you like this story. I suppose I shouldn't be, but I am. Anyway, here's the next chapter. R&R. Enjoy!

**As I Breathe You In**

Cody stepped into his apartment with Evan right behind him. Taking off his coat, he hung it up on the rack. He entered the kitchen and grabbed the coffee pot. A hot cup of coffee was what he needed right now, especially considering everything that had happened. Speaking of which… Looking up, he saw that Evan was standing in the doorway with the door still open. His brown eyes were wide and frightened and scanning the room uncertainly. Seeing that his frame was shaking, probably from the cold as well as fear, and Cody felt a pang of guilt stab his heart. Feeling like a jackass, Cody let the coffee maker do its work while he made his way over to the neko.

"Hey…Evan. Let me, uh, let me show you around." Evan looked up at him for a brief moment before they gazed back down. Cody sighed softly. It was common knowledge that, despite the laws in place, nekos weren't treated right. Often, their owners abused them and, in the end, they would get seriously injured or worse. So it was natural that Evan would be more than hesitant towards him. Odds are that his previous owners had treated him like crap, so the neko had every right to be suspicious of him.

"This is the living room…obviously. And that's the kitchen…" Cody started down the hallway and, reluctantly, Evan followed him.

"Here's my office, which is just a library. I only use it when I'm working on projects and stuff. The bathroom and guest room are on the right and my bedroom is the last door on the left. That's pretty much it, I guess… Not much, but it's home."

Evan didn't move from his place behind Cody. Nor did he look around or anything like that. Turning around, Cody observed the neko and watched as his tail swished back and forth as though aggravated. His ears were flat, making him look even more irate and Cody couldn't help but feel bad. Scratching his head, Cody laughed nervously before he maneuvered around Evan, heading towards the kitchen and his coffee pot.

"Hope you don't mind, but you'll be sleeping in the guest room. If the bed's uncomfortable or anything, we can switch rooms or something. Tomorrow, I'll take you shopping for clothes after I get home from work. Since it's only five-thirty or something like that, I'll make us something to eat. And I still have a presentation to work on so…" Cody made his way to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. After taking a sip of it, he opened his freezer, search for something quick and easy.

"Do you like mac 'n' cheese?" Cody looked around the freezer door to stare at the neko. Evan was still standing in place and his tail was still going back and forth. Smiling sadly to himself, the brunette spoke once more.

"You can sit down on the couch and watch TV or something. I'll pop the mac 'n' cheese into the oven and start working on my presentation." Taking the mac 'n' cheese out of the freezer, Cody turned on the oven and set the temperature gauge to the appropriate setting, all the while watching Evan out of the corner of his eye. The neko stood still for a moment before he started heading towards the living room. Sitting down on the couch, Evan, with shaking hands and constantly moving brown eyes, hesitantly grabbed the TV remote. Seeing the sight made Cody feel a little bit better and he put the food into the oven before heading towards the living room and his laptop.

Sitting down, he opened his laptop and logged in. As he started working on his presentation yet again, Cody watched as Evan flipped through channels. Even though he had been given leeway, Evan still looked frightened and suspicious. His eyes kept flickering between the TV and Cody the whole time they sat there. At first, Cody tried to ignore it, but after the first twenty minutes passed by, he sided and addressed the neko.

"Look, Evan, I'm not going to hit you or hurt you or anything like that. It's totally cool for you to watch TV and shit. I _told_ you that you could if you wanted to. Okay?" Evan didn't answer, but his brown eyes landed on Cody for a second before looking down. Nodding tightly, Evan turned back to the TV and settled for the History Channel, which was airing a _Clash of the Gods_ marathon. Cody nodded in approval before returning to his presentation.

An hour later, the mac 'n' cheese was ready and Cody got up and dished out some for Evan and himself. Grabbing some rolls, he returned to the living room and sat the plates and rolls down on the coffee table. Evan jumped at the sudden noise and Cody smiled at him reassuringly.

"Here. The food's ready. Dig in." Evan stared at him as he sat down and grabbed his own plate off of the table. Caving a roll in, Cody stuffed some mac 'n' cheese into the roll before taking a bite. Humming in satisfaction, Cody started on the final touches of his presentation as he watched and listened to the Medusa episode of _Clash of the Gods_. As Cody caved another roll in, his eyes looked up and he saw that Evan was watching him with a curious expression on his face. Shrugging, Cody offered a roll to the neko, whose ears perked up a bit.

"Try it once. You'll like it. It's kind of like a sandwich." Giving Cody an apprehensive look, Evan took the offered roll and did the same thing Cody had done. Taking a bite, he chewed softly for a few seconds before his tail started moving in pleasure and a soft purring sound started. Smiling brightly, Cody leaned back in his chair and made another sandwich.

"I'm glad you like it, Evan."

They finished up their dinner and continued watching TV until ten o'clock. At that time, Cody logged off his laptop, having finished his presentation, and made his way to the bathroom for a quick shower before bed. After he finished washing his hair and body, he got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. Opening the door, he made his way to his bedroom and up on a pair of boxers and a wife beater. He made his way out to the living room and saw that Evan was still awake and watching TV. Grabbing the remote off of the coffee table, Cody turned the TV off and smiled tiredly down at the neko.

"Time for bed, Ev. It's been a long day and I think we could both use a decent night's sleep." Cody placed the remote back down on the table and turned around, heading towards his bedroom.

"The guest room's your room, Evan. Good night." Footsteps followed his own and Cody tried hard not to smile. Hopefully, Evan was starting to warm up to him. It'd be nice, all things considered, but he didn't blame the neko for his hesitance and fear.

Yawning, Cody crawled into his bed and snuggled under the covers, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep. He listened quietly and smiled when he heard Evan tread into the guest room. Hopefully, the neko would be comfortable and would get some sleep. Cody would be at a loss if the neko, his neko technically, was unable to get any rest because of their current situation. They weren't brought together by the most pleasant of circumstances, but Cody wanted to make the most of it. His only hope was that Evan wanted the same thing.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Here's another chapter! R&R. Enjoy!

**As I Breathe You In**

When his alarm went off the next morning, Cody groaned and peeked out from his blankets to glare at it. He hated mornings. Actually, no, he didn't hate mornings; he hated waking up. Sleep was something he got very little of most nights due to his work and the constant projects he had to work on and dish out. Even though he chose his career, Cody was seriously starting to doubt his decision making skills.

Groaning, he reached out and turned his alarm clock off. Ripping the blankets away from his body, Cody sat up, rubbed his eyes, shook his head, and got up. Leaving his room, he looked into Evan's room and saw that the neko was curled into a ball underneath the blankets. Smiling to himself, Cody made his way to the bathroom and closed the door. He jumped when he looked at himself in the mirror.

"And this is why your body doesn't let you sleep for too long, Mr. Rhodes." He turned on the cold water and sighed.

"God, I look even more tired than I did yesterday. Figures. Stupid body." Splashing cold water on his face, Cody's skin bristled at the sudden coldness, but it woke him up. Slapping himself on both of his cheeks, he grabbed a towel and dried himself off before heading towards the kitchen. He needed coffee bad.

Grabbing the coffee pot, he rinsed it out before pouring some water in it. Rubbing his left eye free of sleep, Cody meandered over to the coffee maker and poured the water in before putting the coffee in the machine. Turning it on, he turned around and opened the freezer and took out a box of strawberry Pillsbury Toaster Strudel. Laying it on the counter, he walked over to the cupboard and pulled out a plate. Opening the box, Cody grabbed a strudel out and popped into the toaster. When his coffee was ready, Cody poured himself a cup and took a sip as he waited for his breakfast.

In no time, it was ready and he ate the pastry before going back to his bedroom. He opened his closet and took out black slacks, a white undershirt, a white buttoned long sleeved shirt, and a tie. Dressing quickly, saving the tie for last, Cody returned to the kitchen and finished his cup of coffee before heading to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Once that was out of the way, he went back to his bedroom and put on his tie. Grabbing his jacket, Cody made his way to his office, where he kept his laptop, and grabbed it, placing it gently in its case. Before putting his shoes on, he padded down the hall towards Evan's room. It was more than likely that the neko was still sleeping, and he hated to wake him up and startle him, but he had to let his neko know that he was leaving soon. Knocking on the bedroom door, Cody peered inside before looking down and speaking.

"Hey, Evan? I'm going to leave for work in a few minutes. I'll be gone all day so be sure to stay inside and keep the door locked. I'll call when I'm on my way home so be sure to pick up the phone, okay? We'll go shopping for your clothes once I get home and changed, okay? Take care and feel free to eat something and watch some TV. I'll see you later, Ev." The only response he got was the rustling of the blankets Evan was curled under. Chewing his bottom lip, a nervous habit Cody had yet to get rid of completely, he went to put his shoes on. Grabbing his laptop case, wallet, and car keys, Cody left the apartment, locking the door behind him. He never heard the soft reply that came from Evan seconds after the door closed.

"…Okay."

…

Cody sighed as he reclined back in his chair. He had just shown his boss the presentation for the new product they were advertising and it was met with a decent reaction.

"Try to be a little more enthusiastic, Codes." At that, Cody quirked at brow at Randy, who shrugged and smirked.

"Hey, we all have to fake it for the masses."

With that, he was sent back to his cubical in the Pen, the name given to the advertising team who worked for the company. His cubical was located in the middle of the last row against the wall. Opposite his side were the windows that gave them insight to the outside world. Bored and a little put down, Cody swiveled his chair and stared out of the windows. It was a cloudy day and had been raining on and off. He turned back to his desk and was about to start working on the newest advertisement for the next product line when Ted walked up to his cubical.

"Hey, Codes. How'd the presentation go with Mr. Bossman?" Cody looked up and smiled his friend. Shrugging, he logged onto his desktop computer and pulled some files up.

"He told me I need to be more enthusiastic." Ted laughed and shook his head.

"That man of mine… I swear he has one weird ass sense of humor." Cody nodded laughed.

"I guess he does. So, what's going on, Teddy? You don't usually come down from the accounting office. Is something up?" Ted shrugged and grinned.

"I just felt like getting out of the office. It gets boring hanging round those geeks. Don't get me wrong; they're cool and all, but they're…well, math nerds. You know what I mean?" Cody nodded.

"Yeah, I do. Hey, did I tell you that-"

"Hey, Cody."

Cody stopped talking and smiling. Closing his eyes, he sighed before turning to look at Mike. Mike was the biggest jerk in the entire building, and that was saying something. He had a massive ego, was overall annoying, and, as if that wasn't icing on the cake, he had a thing for Cody. However, Cody wasn't normally one to pick fights and whatnot; he preferred stability and didn't want to rock the boat more than necessary.

"Hey, Mike. What can I do for you?" Mike's smirk widened and Cody heard Ted growl softly. It wasn't a secret that Ted disliked Mike, but he couldn't do anything to him considering that Mike was Randy's cousin. That, Cody was sure, was the only reason Mike still had a job at the company.

"Nothing. I was just walking on by when I saw Ted here mingling and I decided to grace you with my presence too." Ted snorted and Mike glared at him.

"Do you find something funny, DiBiase?"

"Yeah. Your ego. Get back to work, Mizanin. You have files that need to be submitted before the day is out. And you only have an hour left, so get crackin'." Mike scowled and walked away. Releasing a relieve sigh, Cody looked back at Ted and sent him a smile.

"I'm so glad that you were here. He bugs the living hell out of me."

"Then tell him to fuck off." Cody laugh and Ted grinned.

"So, what were you going to tell me before that moron interrupted?" Cody's eyes brightened and he sat up.

"Oh yeah. I got a neko yesterday." He proceeded to tell Ted everything that had happened yesterday. When he was finished, he noticed the worried look on his friend's face.

"What's with the look, Teddy?" Ted sighed and looked down at Cody.

"It's just… Why did the lady want to get rid of him so fast? And why'd she give him to you for free?" Cody shrugged and clicked open one of his files, preparing himself to read through it.

"No idea. But what's there to worry about? Evan's not the kind of person who'd do something to me." Ted shrugged before responding.

"True, but you've only known him for a little while, Codes. And even if you knew him for a while, how well do you really know a person, ya know?" Cody sighed and the enthusiasm that he had built while telling Ted about Evan drained out of his system.

"I guess… But if you met Evan, you'd understand."

"Probably. Hey, I should get going. We both have work to finish before the day is done. See ya tomorrow, Cody."

"Bye, Ted."

The rest of the day went by fast and in no time at all Cody was walking out of the building and heading towards his car. Digging his keys out of his pocket, he tucked his laptop in underneath his arm pit while he rummaged through his pocket. It wasn't until he reached his car that he realized that someone had been following him. Looking at the window of his driver's side door, he saw that it was Mike. Groaning inwardly, Cody inserted the key and unlocked his car before addressing the older man.

"What do you want, Mike?" Mike approached him and Cody looked up. The man looked as cocky as ever and his blue eyes sparkled deviously. Dear God, if he turned out to be one of those _Twilight_ freaks or whatever they are, that would explain a lot.

"Oh, I was just wondering if you wanted to go out for drinks with me tonight." Cody opened his car door and placed his laptop down on his passenger seat. He was well aware of the fact that Mike's eyes had been glued to his ass the moment he bent down.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I already have plans." Mike frowned and Cody tried not to smirk. Getting into his car, he looked up at Mike.

"See you tomorrow." With that, he closed the door, locked his car up, and started the engine. He was anxious to get home to Evan and find out how the neko had spent his day.


	4. Chapter 4

A.N: I'm glad that you guys are liking this story thus far. I hope that my writing continues to live up to its usual standards. Thanks for all of the support; I love hearing from you guys! R&R. Enjoy!

**As I Breathe You In**

Cody drove as fast as he could and was glad to be home. The presentation, Randy's critique of it, and having to deal with Mike made him want to bang his head against a wall. As much as he wanted to do that, he had other things to do, such as keeping his promise to Evan about taking him clothes shopping. Truth be told, even though he felt kind of down, Cody had been looking forward to taking Evan clothes shopping ever since he brought it up. It'd give him some alone with the neko and would, hopefully, allow Evan to trust him and open up to him a little bit more.

Getting out of his car, Cody grabbed his laptop and made his way into the apartment building. He got in the elevator and waited the few seconds it took to reach his floor. Feeling a bit nervous, he made his way to his apartment and unlocked the door. Taking a deep breath, wondering if Evan was okay and what he had been up to, Cody opened the door and stepped inside.

At first, he didn't hear anything, but then, when he had entered the apartment fully and had stepped inside, he could faintly hear the show airing on the TV. Walking in further, he peered into the living room and smiled when he sat that Evan was sitting in the same spot on the couch that he had sat in last night. His tail was resting on the couch and his ears were perked up as he continued to watch _Monster Quest_ on the History channel. Clearing his throat, Cody called out to the neko, trying his best not to startle him.

"Evan? I'm home." Cody watched as Evan's entire body stiffened for a brief second before the neko stood up and kept his gaze focused on the floor. His tale flicked back and forth in agitation and Cody sighed inwardly. But he decided not to mention any of that. Instead, he talked to the neko, his neko, trying to get him to relax.

"How was your day?" Cody asked the smaller man as he made his way to the study to drop off his laptop.

"Okay…" Cody smiled when he heard Evan's reply. Finally, they seemed to be getting somewhere.

"Well I'm glad that _your_ day was okay. Work could have gone better but, oh well. So, are you ready to go?" Evan's ears flattened and he glanced up at Cody for a moment before looking back down.

"…Shopping?" Cody walked towards him and, hesitantly, placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to relax the neko. At first, Evan's body tensed up even more, but he began to relax and Cody felt a little bit better.

"Yeah. I figured we'd get you some stuff…" Cody's eyes traveled to the coffee table were a magazine laid open, revealing the Sudoku puzzle that was complete filled in before he continued speaking. "…and then go out to eat. Sound good to you? Do you need to shower or anything?"

"No…I-I already…showered." Even though work hadn't gone the way he had planned, it appeared that he was finally making some progress with Evan. Cody reveled in that knowledge and he grabbed Evan's hand in his own.

"Good! Let's get going then, okay?" Cody didn't wait for a reply. He ushered the both of them out of the apartment, locked it, and left the building.

Getting into the car, Cody drove away from the apartment building and headed towards the only place that he knew wouldn't throw a bitch fit over having a neko inside the store: Wal-Mart. It was a place that he usually went to shop for clothes, but he didn't want to take the chances of going to his usual department stores. Besides, Evan would probably be more comfortable in a place that employed both humans and nekos. Discrimination was against the law, but most department stores refused to hire nekos, which was one of the down falls of name brand companies that operated with the elite. Wal-Mart, Giant, and K-Mart were know for embracing nekos, and especially for hiring them, so taking Evan to Wal-Mart was the best bet. If they didn't have anything that the neko liked, Cody would go to K-Mart. As long as they got Evan some clothes and stuff, everything would be good.

When they finally made it to the super store, Cody watched in amusement as Evan looked around everywhere. At the cars, the people and nekos, the carts, and at the store. His tail swished back and forth excitedly and his ears perked up, listening. Turning the car off, Cody opened his door, ready to get out.

"Are you ready to go inside, Evan?" Evan looked at him and his tail stopped beating back and forth rapidly. It was as though he thought he wasn't allowed to be happy or excited unless Cody said so. Knowing that this was probably the case, Cody sighed and reached over tentatively to scratch Evan's ear. He flinched at the contact, but then relaxed into it and started to purr softly.

"Come on. Let's get you some stuff. You deserve it." Evan merely purred in response and Cody had to force himself to stop.

Reluctantly, he stopped petting Evan and got out of the car. Taking a deep breath, he tried to keep his focus on the task at hand and not how sweet the sound of Evan's purring was. When he heard the smaller man get out of the car and close his door, Cody locked the car and he grabbed Evan's hand, giving him a smile as they headed towards the store. Grabbing a car in the foyer, Cody started pushing it towards the entryway while Evan started at him for a few seconds before following his lead. With the neko by his side, Cody started towards the clothing section, not really knowing what to do at this point. It was all kind of awkward and he felt a bit uncomfortable since he's never done this before. Looking over at Evan, he watched as his tail flicked back and forth in a mildly agitated manner and saw that his ears were flat against his head.

"So… Why don't you got and pick out some stuff you like? I'm sure they've got something that you'll like." Evan looked at him and tilted his head to the side, as though trying to comprehend what Cody just said.

"Are…are you sure? I mean…I don't really…you don't… Whatever you give me, I'll wear…so…" Cody sighed and grabbed Evan's wrist, pulling him towards an area that had no one around. Making sure that they weren't around anyone, Cody turned to Evan.

"Look, I know that this is all new and weird and frightening and strange. And I know that I know nothing about you, where you came from, what masters or whatever you've had, and I don't know how you were treated. Nothing I say will get you to trust me all of a sudden and I know that. But you've got to meet me half way on this, Evan. The way I see it, I'm not your owner. I'm just a friend trying to help you out because you need it. You deserve it." Evan's brown eyes were wide and they gazed into Cody's with a certain amount of uncertainty, but that didn't bother Cody. All he wanted was for Evan to help him out on this and to go get stuff that he wanted and that would make him happy.

"Now, go pick out some clothes. Whatever you like." Evan nodded and turned around. Surveying the shelves and racks around them, he made for the jeans and started looking through them, although he kept looking back at Cody as though asking for help. But Cody merely pushed the cart forward and put the clothes into it.

For the first twenty minutes or so, Cody had to continue reassuring Evan that whatever he wanted to pick out was fine. Eventually, the neko began to relax and he started talking a bit more. Cody liked hearing his voice; it would have sounded so happy and chipper had the neko not been through a lot (and Cody assumed that he had been). Although all Evan did was ask Cody about clothing and stuff like that, it felt as though they were bounding and it lifted the taller man's spirits. At long last, they were getting somewhere. They were about to move towards the pajama section when Evan accidentally bumped into someone and fell on his butt. Whoever the person was was a large, beefy man who resembled Vernon Dursley way too much for Cody's liking. And he not only looked like the man, but he was mean like him as well.

"Watch where the fuck you're going, you stupid fucking animal." The man's beady eyes turned to Cody, who met his gaze coolly.

"Maybe you should keep your fucking pet on a leash, professor."

"Maybe you should lose a good fifty pounds or so and take a bath, jackass." The man scowled at him and walked away. Shaking his head, Cody crouched down to examine Evan.

"Hey…are you okay, Ev?"

The neko's tail thrashed about and his ears were pressed against his head. His entire body was shaking and he kept his gaze down. Cody growled softly. People like that sickened him. Nekos were people, not pets. They had feelings, they bled, they cried, they had feelings. Why couldn't other people see that? Helping Evan up, he brushed him off and scratched his ear. Slowly, oh, so slowly, Evan started to calm down and relax. He started purring again and he leaned into Cody. Ceasing his petting, Cody wrapped Evan in a hug and rubbed his back. It was hard for him to not feel for the smaller man.

"Come on… Let's finish shopping and then we'll go get something to eat. Sound good?" Evan looked up at him and gave him a shaky smile.

"Yeah." Cody smiled back.

"Good. Let's get crackin' then."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I'm kind of surprised that so many of you like this story. I know that Cody/Evan stories aren't popular, but I love the pairing so very much; I think they'd look cute together. Anyway, here's the next chapter. R&R. Enjoy!

**As I Breathe You In**

Cody and Evan walked out of the Wal Mart superstore, cart loaded with bags. After their encounter with that Vernon Dursley jerk off, Evan remained quiet and withdrawn, his tail twitching every so often in agitation and it felt as though everything Cody had just accomplished with him had been erased. However, as they continued their browsing, Evan relaxed once again and Cody was relieved to see the neko starting to enjoy himself. When they had finished looking and picking out clothes, they left the clothing section and Cody drove the cart towards the books and magazines.

When he picked up a Sudoku book filled to the brim with puzzles, Evan tilted his head and gave him a quizzical look. Cody wasn't fooled though; he saw the hope and desire in those brown eyes and he smiled.

"You like Sudoku, right?" Evan's tail started moving and a soft purring sound emanated from the smaller man.

"Yes…" Cody's smile widened.

"Then this is for you. I'll get you another one when you've finished this one." Evan gave him a small, grateful smile in return.

Leaving the books and magazines behind, they made their way towards the bathroom supplies. Cody had his own shampoo, body wash and stuff like that, but Evan didn't have any. Realizing this, Cody asked Evan what he had used when he took his shower earlier that day. At that, Evan looked down and he fidgeted slightly before answering.

"Uh…I used your…dish washing soap. The Dawn stuff..."

Cody's mouth nearly fell open at that. He wasn't mad at Evan, not one bit, and the only reason why he asked the question was because he was genuinely curious. He hadn't smelled his body wash on the neko when he first got home and he wasn't sure if he had normal bar soap in the apartment or not. In all honesty, he wouldn't have minded if Evan used his body wash, shampoo and conditioner. Actually, he was kind of surprised that he didn't. But to hear that the neko had used dish washing liquid to clean himself…

"Why on earth would you use that stuff? I wouldn't have minded if you used my body wash and stuff like that, Evan." Cody reached out and petted Evan's hair and cat ears, noting how soft the hair and fur were.

"My…my previous masters would always make me use it. I guess it just became a habit…"

"Your previous masters must've been awful…" Evan leaned into Cody's touch and his eyes slitted in pleasure.

"They were…but I know my place… It kept me alive this long so…" Cody stopped petting him and Evan blinked before looking up at him.

"Well, you don't need to worry about that anymore. You're with me now and I'm not giving you away. Sorry Ev, but you're stuck with me." Evan smiled at him, a real, genuine smile, and Cody felt his heart fluttering at it.

Evan wasn't ugly. He was incredibly attractive, especially when he smiled. Cody decided, as Evan examined the various body washes on the shelf, that he liked seeing Evan smile a lot and that he'd do whatever he could to keep him smiling. He knew that he shouldn't be having these feelings for Evan; they had just met after all and they barely knew each other. But he couldn't deny that everything just seemed to fit. However, he wasn't going to say or do anything, not yet, not until Evan felt completely comfortable with him.

After putting the body wash, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush and toothpaste into the cart, they went to check out. The lady who waited on them was nice, especially to Evan, and Cody noticed that Evan seemed to be relax more and more, and it made him feel a bit more certain than he was before.

Shaking his head slightly, Cody unlocked the car and started loading the bags into the trunk. Evan helped him and the taller man couldn't help smile at how Evan was starting to come out of his shell. He was still shy and withdrawn, but not as much as he had been. It was relieving and Cody couldn't stop smiling. Once the bags were in the trunk, Cody told Evan to get into the car while he put the cart into the chorale across the lane. Once that was done, he got into the car and started it up.

"So, where did you want to eat?" Evan looked at Cody and chewed on his bottom lip before answering.

"I've never really…been inside a restaurant before." Cody stared at him dumbfounded. At this point in time, such revelations shouldn't come as a surprise, but they did. Most restaurants served nekos and normal people alike, so it seemed absurd that Evan had never even been inside a restaurant before. But, then again, Evan had told him that his previous owners had been…well, less than humane in regards to how they treated him.

"Really? Damn… Well then, how about we go to Chili's? It's one of my favorite restaurants; I'm sure you'll like it." Evan perked up at that and he smiled.

"Okay…what's it like?"

"It's got Hispanic foods and stuff like that. It's really neat and the food is always good." Cody pulled out of the parking spot and they left the superstore, Evan's tail swishing back and forth in anticipation as they drove towards their destination.

The Chili's restaurant wasn't that far from Wal Mart; it was only a seven minute drive, if that, so they arrived there quickly. Cody saw that it was a little bit busy, but he figured that Evan needed to be around more people anyway since it might help him open up a little bit more. Getting out of the car, he locked it and, together, they made their way inside.

"Hi! Welcome to Chili's. Just the two of you?" The hostess who greeted them was a young girl, a teenager Cody wagered, but she seemed nice enough.

"Yes, just the two of us."

"Okay, follow me." Cody, with his hand on Evan's for support, just in case, followed her to a table and they sat down.

"Here are your menus. Your waitress will be Jessica and she'll be here in no time, okay? Have a great time!" With that, she left them and they opened their menus.

"So…what's good here?" Cody smiled at Evan's question and his eyes skimmed over the menu.

"Pretty much everything. I usually get the fajitas, but I'm thinking about getting something else."

"Oh… What do you think I should get?"

"Whatever you want, Ev."

Jessica showed up at that point and took their orders for their drinks and appetizer before taking off. Putting his menu down, already knowing what he was going to get, Cody studied Evan. His ears were perked up and his eyes were reading over the menu carefully. His tail was swaying gently and he looked relaxed. But something seemed out of place on him, something that Cody couldn't place at first. After studying him longer, Cody realized what it was. Evan needed a collar. Or rather, he might want one or something.

"Hey Evan…I'm just wondering about this… Did you want a collar?" Evan looked up from his menu and stared at the taller man. Cody shifted in his seat, feeling uncomfortable, but continued.

"I don't know if your previous owners forced you to wear one or not, but I was just wondering if you wanted one. Like I said, I consider us more on the line of friends instead of owner and neko, so it's up to you. If you don't want one, then you won't have to get one. I was just asking." Evan stared at him for a minute longer, an unreadable expression on his face, before he looked away. Cody saw him taking a deep breath before the neko looked back up at him with a bit of shyness and a blush tinting his face.

"My previous owners always made me wear one… They said a slave needed to have a sign of ownership." Cody frowned and automatically he felt like an ass.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you or anything…" Evan's tail started to sway again gently and the neko shook his head.

"You didn't offend me… I…I think I'd like a collar. As long as your name's on it." Cody felt relief flood him and he smiled at the smaller man.

"Sure. No problem, Evan."

Jessica returned with their drinks and their appetizer and took their orders. It was the best and nicest dinner out with someone that Cody's ever had.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: So, are you all excited for Christmas? I know I am, kind of. A lot of family drama trauma has been going on and the like. Gotta love it (hurr, not really). Anyway, here's the next chapter! R&R. Enjoy!

**As I Breathe You In**

After they had finished eating, Cody and Evan left the Chili's and made their way to the closest Pet Smart. Cody was relieved and happy that Evan was feeling more relaxed around him. During dinner, the neko would answer whatever questions Cody threw at him; the only thing he was ever vague on were the answers concerning his previous owners. However, Cody understood that that was a touchy subject and he didn't press Evan or ask him to elaborate. Whenever the neko was ready he'd tell Cody about it. Or so he hoped.

He was kind of surprised that Evan wanted a collar. Even though Evan was his neko and he knew that he technically had to make Evan wear a collar, Cody wasn't going to do anything that Evan didn't want him to do. And considering that Evan's past was probably not the most pleasant, he figured that the smaller man would want to steer clear of things such as collars and tags. But Cody had been proven wrong, and he was okay with that. As long as Evan was okay with it, he was okay with it.

The Pet Smart wasn't too far from Chili's and before long they were walking inside of the store. It was a good thing that there was one nearby because there was no way in hell Cody was taking Evan to the pet shop he had found him in. Keeping him away from the downtown area in general was probably an overall good idea, one that Cody had no problem implementing. Evan didn't seem bothered at being inside a Pet Smart that was for sure. He kept looking back and forth, his ears were perked up, and his tail was swaying leisurely back and forth. Seeing the neko so calm and relaxed made Cody smile and he gently patted Evan on the back. The smaller man turned to look at him, pure wonder and excite displayed clearly in his brown eyes.

"You've never been inside a Pet Smart, have you?" Somewhere inside of him, Cody had a feeling that that was the case. Sure enough, Evan shook his head and turned to look at the fish.

"No… To be honest, most of the places I've been to haven't been nice or pleasant. Most of my owners were people who…uh, dealt with illegal stuff and hated being in places that would single them out and draw attention to them." Cody nodded and rubbed Evan's back before allowing his arm to fall down to his side.

"I'm sorry… You're a nice guy, Ev. You didn't deserve such a lifestyle or anything like that." Evan shrugged and gave him a small smile, but Cody wasn't fooled. He could see the pain and the past scars shining brightly in the neko's eyes.

"That's what happens when you're born a neko. I'll tell you all about it…someday." Cody smiled at him and pointed in the direction of the neko section.

"Whenever you're ready. Come on; let's go and pick out a nice collar for you."

Evan's eyes lit up and he walked ahead of Cody towards the section. Smiling, Cody followed him. He was glad that Evan was being more himself and was opening up. Perhaps the neko was beginning to trust him a little bit more. One could only hope. To Cody, it sure as hell seemed as though Evan was trusting him and even liked him. Regardless of what Ted had told him at work, Cody knew that Evan wasn't one to keep secrets and lie to him. Although he didn't know how he knew that, he just did.

"Hey…Cody?"

Cody was snapped out of his thoughts by Evan's questioning voice and he looked at the neko. He was staring at him with wide, curious yet hesitant eyes, and his tail was, occasionally, swaying back and forth. His arm was outstretched and Cody saw that he was point to the collars. With a smile, he walked over so that he was standing beside Evan and stared up at them. Some looked nice and classy while others looked ridiculous and completely idiotic. Some were cloth collars while others were made of some sort of leathery material. The prices varied depending on the size, color, and material, but Cody wasn't worried about the price. All he wanted was for Evan to choose something that he genuinely liked.

"Which one are you leaning towards, Evan?" The neko turned back to the collars and he gently grasped a navy blue collar made out of the leathery material. It suited Evan to the t and Cody couldn't help but grin. His neko would look good wearing that collar, he was sure of that.

"This one… Is that okay? It's…kind of expensive and you've already done so much…" Cody laughed and grabbed the collar off of the shelf.

"Don't worry about it, Ev. I've got you covered. So don't worry, okay?" Evan nodded, but he still looked uncertain so Cody stroked his neck for a few seconds until the neko was purring softly.

"Are you okay now, Evan?" The smaller man nodded, his eyes slitted in pleasure and Cody ceased his stroking. Evan continued to purr and Cody laughed softly, enjoying the sight before him.

"Good. Well, let's go and pay for this. Then we'll go home and get you settled in with your new stuff."

Cody started walking towards the registers. All things considered, he had had a lot of fun shopping with Evan and going out to eat with him, but he was ready to go home and relax a bit before reading some files for work. He had assumed that Evan was following behind him, but when he looked over his shoulder, he found that the smaller man wasn't there. Confused, he stopped walking and looked around. The neko was nowhere to be found.

"Evan?"

Evan didn't reply. Wondering where he could have gotten to, Cody stared walking among the aisles. It wasn't until he had made his way closer to where the kittens were kept that he spotted the neko. He was with the kittens, actually he was holding one, and there was an employee with him. She was keeping an eye on him and talking to him about something, probably the kittens. Since Evan's back was facing him, he didn't see Cody enter the room, nor did he know that Cody was standing there watching them quietly with a small smile on his face.

"Aw…they're so cute and fluffy… I can't even remember when I was a kit. It's been a while." Evan laughed nervously but he continued petting and cuddling with the kitten. The employee, an elderly woman with a kind, round face, was smiling at him.

"Aren't they just so precious? I absolutely adore baby animals, but kittens are my favorite. They're just so cute and spunky."

"Do you feed them well? Are they kept warm enough? They're not…you know, treated badly…are they?" The woman reached out to pet the kitten in Evan's arms as she replied to his questions.

"They're fed often, about….once every three or four hours, I think. I'm not too sure. But I feed them a few times when I'm here. We have blankets down in their little area for them to keep warm and heaters are placed back here in the fall and winter time for them." Evan nodded and Cody stepped forward to get a closer look. The smaller man was scratching behind the kitten's ears and Cody could hear the little thing purring.

"Pet Smart is a large, well known company. All of our employees are careful and considerate of the animals here. If they're not, they're fired on the spot. As far as I know, none of these little darlings have been mistreated or abused in anyway." Evan nodded and nuzzled the kitten, who meowed softly. Gently, the neko placed the kitten back down in the pen with the others and petted it once more before it ran off to play with its brothers and sisters.

"That's good to know. Do you guys sell…nekos, by chance?" The elderly lady nodded and her smiled dimmed a little bit.

"Yes, we do, but not many. There are strict laws that we have to abide by and to be honest, not a lot of people living in this area like to see nekos in a store like this. They expect to see them in the downtown area, but not here. Actually, a customer came in not too long ago and sold us his neko. He said that his girlfriend wouldn't allow him to keep him anymore. It's a shame because he's such a sweet thing, but what can you do?" Evan nodded sympathetically and looked down.

"True… What's his name? I'd like to know in case I come back here and want to talk to him. Is it even possible for me to do that?" The lady smiled at him.

"Yes, dear, it's quite possible. And his name is Alex Riley, I do believe. He's still here if you want to talk to him." Evan shook his head.

"No, that's okay. Maybe next time." Cody cleared his throat and Evan jumped before turning around and facing him. A smile, soft and gentle, was on Cody's face and approached Evan.

"Are you making friends in here, Ev?" The neko smiled and nodded, his tail swaying back and forth gently.

"I just…couldn't resist. They're so cute." Cody smiled down at the kittens and bent down to pet one for a moment before he stood back up.

"Ready to go?" Evan nodded.

"Yeah, I'm ready. It was nice talking to you, Aggie." The lady smiled and patted his fore arm gently.

"It was nice meeting you, Evan. I hope to see you soon. Just to let you know, Pet Smart does hire nekos and a position is open, should you, you know, want to apply for it." Evan's eyes flickered to Cody for a moment before dropping to the floor. Cody scratched behind Evan's ears before speaking.

"Sounds like a good idea, huh Evan? I bet you'd like it here. If you wanted to work, you know." Evan nodded and Cody's smile widened. He turned to Aggie and waved.

"Thanks. Where can we pick up an application?"

"At the registers. We still have a few paper applications left." Cody nodded.

"Thanks again. See you later."

And with that, they left the kittens' room and made their way to the registers.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hello, everyone. Did you all have a nice Christmas? Mine was kind of 'meh' but that can't be helped. I did get an Evan Bourne shirt which I am very happy about and smitten over. Tis a most beautiful shirt. Anyway, here's the next chapter. R&R. Enjoy!

**As I Breathe You In**

Cody was glad to be home. Going out shopping with Evan and whatnot zapped whatever energy he had left over from work, and he was glad when he hauled the last of the bags in and sat down. Evan sat on the couch, his new collar held in his hands. He kept stroking it and looking at it with a somewhat guarded expression. Perhaps he was having second thoughts? Well, Cody wasn't going to force him to wear it; if Evan wanted to wear it, then he could and it wasn't going to hurt Cody any if he didn't.

He yawned and stretched before getting up and grabbing a few bags. Evan watched him, a slightly confused expression on his face, as Cody did so. Seeing that the neko was watching him, Cody smiled and he turned to him, shrugging.

"We should put your stuff away, don'tcha think?" Evan nodded, put his collar on the coffee table, and got up.

Grabbing the remainder of the bags, Evan followed him. Cody entered the guest room and set the bags on the floor. Opening the closet, Cody grabbed some hangers and started removing clothes from the bags and putting them on the hangers. Evan watched him for a few minutes before taking out packs of socks and boxers and opening them. Walking over to the dresser across from the bed, he opened the top drawer and put them inside. Together, they put the clothes away and a good twenty minutes or so passed by. Every so often, Cody would look over at Evan and watch him.

The neko appeared to be calm and relaxed, but Cody knew that he hadn't let his guard down completely. Everything was still too new and different and it would take Evan a while to adjust. Which is why Cody didn't grab Evan an application for the Pet Smart they had been to. It's not that he didn't want Evan to work or to do what he wanted; it's just that he wanted to give the neko time to adjust to his new life. Being thrown into this awkward relationship was difficult enough for both of them; getting a job might prove to be too much.

Once everything was put away, Cody grabbed the bag with the bathroom supplies and went into the bathroom. Evan gathered up the bags and followed him, watching the taller man as he placed the body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and toothbrush and toothpaste in the bathroom. With everything in its place, Cody turned off the light and left the room, giving Evan a small grin as he walked past the smaller man. Taking the bags from Evan, he threw them away and started making coffee. He heard Evan rummage through the last bag, the one that had his Sudoku book in it, and he smiled. Letting the coffee machine work its magic, Cody went into the living room and sat down in his chair.

"So…how are you doing?" Evan looked at him, obviously confused and puzzled at the question. The expression looked cute on Evan and Cody found himself mentally shaking his head. Thinking such thoughts was definitely a no-no.

"You already asked me that…"

"Yeah, but I mean…how are you doing as far as…our situation is concerned?"

"Oh…"

Evan stayed quiet for a minute and Cody waited patiently for him to respond. He hoped that Evan was getting comfortable. It would be strange for them both, and hard on Evan, but, hopefully, the neko recognized that Cody was different from his previous owners and wasn't going to hurt him. Regardless of how relaxed and calm the smaller man had acted today, what Evan could actually have been feeling and thinking earlier may have been different that what he conveyed to Cody.

"You know… We still don't know each other very well, but I need to be honest with you…" Cody looked at the neko and saw that he was hesitant and uncertain. Getting up out of his chair, Cody sat down beside him, close enough that Evan could reach out and touch him if he wanted to, but their bodies weren't actually touching. He could barely just feel the heat the smaller man's body was radiating.

"Being with you today felt…nice. Well, after all of the weird stuff that happened, it was nice. I'm not used to people treating me like I'm human. But there's still too much to take in…and I'm just not comfortable with a lot of stuff…"

There was a lot that was left unsaid, but Cody didn't call Evan out on it. He figured that, although the neko was starting to unwind himself, there were still a lot of scars, physical and emotional, that made him rethink everything. As much as Cody wanted to repeatedly tell the smaller man that he wasn't like his previous owners, past experience probably told Evan not to believe him. At least, not right away. It'll take a while, months and maybe years, before Evan could trust Cody completely. But the wait was worth it.

But why was Cody anticipating it so much? The feeling was new and strange to him. Sure, he would readily admit that Evan was attractive; how can one not admit that when they looked into those brown eyes and saw that smile, even if it was a small one? However, Cody hadn't had a date in a long time and, to be brutally honest, he hadn't been looking around either. He knew that he was attractive, but he just hadn't had the time to really go out and socialize aside from going over to Ted's and playing video games on occasion. Cody wasn't stupid either; he knew that a lot of people just saw good looks and money when they looked at him. It frustrated him and put him off of dating.

Being with Evan though was stirring things within him, things that he hadn't felt since his freshman year of college. Finding someone who actually attracted his attention for more than just sexual purposes was very rare indeed, and, apparently, those stirrings that he felt the last time he was with someone were beginning to resurface. Having those stirrings come about was definitely _not_ a good thing. After all, Cody had just met Evan and they practically knew nothing about each other aside from what they shared today. And Evan had a lot of issues to deal with and needed time to adjust to his new life, and he so didn't need Cody humping his leg like a damn dog while he did that. Sighing softly to himself, Cody nodded and got up, stretching before making his way to the bathroom.

"I'm going to take a shower. I'm pretty tired so I'll probably go to bed soon. The guest bedroom is yours now, so have at it. Just be sure to keep after it and stuff, okay? Um, if you don't want to go to bed yet, you can stay up for a little while. Just be sure not to stay up too late, okay?"

"Okay." Cody smiled down at him and yawned before walking down the hallway and entering the bathroom.

Undressing himself, Cody stepped into the shower and turned the water on, it was cold at first and then it heated up. He moaned softly as the water hit his tired body. Work and being out with Evan really had played him out. Oh well. Evan needed clothes and stuff and Cody really didn't mind going out, not when it meant that he had had more time to be with Evan. Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts aside and cleaned himself. The last thing both Evan and himself needed was for Cody to get a massive hard on just thinking about the neko.

After he was cleaned and his hair was washed, he got out of the shower, he dried off. Wrapping a towel around his waist once he was dry enough, Cody left the bathroom and went to his bedroom. There, he took out a fresh pair of boxers and an old t-shirt and put them on. Yawning once again, Cody meandered his way down the hall and poked his head out into the living room, intending to say good night to Evan. However, the neko wasn't there. Frown to himself, Cody went to the guest bedroom and knocked on it before speaking.

"Evan?" There was a rustling sound from inside the room and the door opened in a matter of seconds. Evan looked up at him, his brown eyes reflecting the neko's own exhaustion.

"Yeah, Cody?"

"I just came to say good night. You can grab a shower whenever you want. Just be sure to get some sleep, okay?" Evan nodded.

"Okay. Good night." Cody smiled tiredly and turned away.

"Night, Ev."

Cody entered his bedroom and slid underneath the blankets. He found a comfortable position and closed his eyes, readily welcoming the sleep that overpowered him.

…

It was almost eleven o'clock at night and Evan was dead tired. Going out with Cody had been fun, but tiring. However, he couldn't go to bed until he had taken care of something, something that he hadn't really known what to do with even though it should have been quite obvious. But Cody had given him a choice: wear the collar or don't.

It was Evan's choice in the end.

Before Cody, Evan was forced to wear collars, and they were often too tight for his neck, but he _had_ to wear them. As if the ears and tail weren't an obvious enough sign as to what he was. Wearing a collar that broadcasted to the world that he was owned by mean, cruel men was like adding injury to insult. He hated wearing collars. Which was why he didn't know what to say when Cody had asked him about it at dinner. Evan knew that, as a neko, he technically had to wear one to show that he had an owner; nekos weren't allowed out on the streets unless they were owned, so wearing one was definitely something he had to do. But being given the choice…

Evan liked Cody; he really did. Cody was nice and funny and…and pretty damn hot. A light blush cloaked Evan's cheeks as he thought about it. Yes, Cody was very hot and sexy, but so had a few of Evan's previous owners and they had shown him their true colors right off the bat. But Cody… Cody was a mystery and he frightened Evan. No one, owner or otherwise, had ever been nice to Evan without wanting something in return, and often times that something was sex. However, Cody hadn't come onto him or made a move or anything like that. And Evan knew that Cody thought he was, at the very least, cute.

Sighing to himself, still at a loss, Evan stared down at the collar in his hands. For some odd reason, he felt compelled to wear it and, for the first time in his entire life, Evan actually _wanted_ to wear it. His fingers gently caressed the collar and they unhooked it. With trembling hands, Evan wrapped it around his neck and clasped it together. Staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, Evan saw, as well as felt, that the collar fit perfectly; not too loose and not too tight. It was just right. With the silver tag that had Cody's name and contact information on it, it looked just right on Evan, which shocked him even more.

Perhaps Cody was different from his other owners after all. Evan would just have to wait and see.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: So, my internet at home isn't working for some reason, so I've had to save my works to my flash drive and post them at school. Let it be known here and now that I dislike Comcast. Aside from that, I've been so obsessed with Kane/Cena stories that I've neglected this one, which is unacceptable. Therefore, without further adieu, I present you with the next chapter. R&R. Enjoy!

**As I Breathe You In**

Cody walked into the kitchen and started up the coffee maker. Yawning, he ran a hand through his hair and shook his head, trying to wake himself up. As the coffee started to brew, Cody turned around and started towards his bedroom when he spotted Evan sitting on the couch in the living room. He turned to say good morning when his eyes settled on the collar that was around Evan's neck. His collar with his tag on it, naming him as the neko's owner. Stopping dead in his tracks, he stared at the neko, stunned, until Evan looked up from his Sudoku book and gave him a shy smile.

"Good morning." Hearing Evan's voice jolted him out of his stunned stance and Cody smiled at him.

"Good morning. I, uh, I see that you're wearing the…the collar I got you." Evan's fingers lifted from his book and gently touched the collar around his neck. He blushed and nodded, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Yeah. I am." Cody nodded and looked into the kitchen, his hand scratching his head for a second.

"You know, since we aren't outside or anything, you don't technically have to wear it. I mean, I've never worn one, but they can't be all that comfortable…" He trailed off, not knowing exactly what he wanted to say.

Cody was glad to see that Evan was wearing his collar, but he didn't want the neko to feel as though he was owned or anything. Yes, it was stupid for him to think that considering that he did, in fact, own Evan. But Evan was his own person and, to Cody, there wasn't anything he could do or say that would make the smaller man obey him. Sure, he could stoop to the pathetic level of the neko's previous owners, but he'd never do that. Ever. He wasn't like them and he would never be like them. His parents had raised him far better than that. Hell, Cody doubted that he could ever get angry at Evan. Anger wasn't something easily triggered in him, something he attributed to his mother, who had infinite amounts of patience.

"I…I don't mind wearing it now. I mean, if it gets uncomfortable, I'll take it off. Is...is that okay?" Cody smiled at him, a little put down that Evan was still asking permission.

"You can do whatever you want to, Evan. I mean that. We're friends, right?" Evan looked at him with doe brown eyes full of uncertainty, hesitation and, more importantly, hope. Hope was always a good sign. A timid smile spread across the smaller man's face.

"Right." Cody's smile widened.

"Then you don't need to ask me anything unless it's something major, like, blowing up a car."

Evan laughed and Cody help pride well up inside of his chest. For some reason, knowing that he had managed to make the neko laugh, really, truly laugh, made him feel as though he were on top of the world. Something else bubbled up in his chest, but Cody couldn't put a name on it. Or rather, he didn't want to. Right now, the most important thing in his relationship with Evan was making sure the neko was happy and was getting used to everything. That, and nothing else, was all that Cody should be focusing on.

"I don't think I'll be blowing up a car any time soon." Cody laughed himself and nodded before turning to head towards his bedroom. He still had to get ready for work. Just one more day and the weekend would be here. A whole two days off to do nothing but hang around the house and do a little work before the work week started all over again.

"Well, I'm going to get ready for work. Feel free to eat something. I've got cereal, frozen breakfast foods… Whatever you want, go ahead and eat." With that, Cody walked to his bedroom and got dressed.

Grabbing a pair of black slacks (he owned a dozen of them), he put them one before putting on one of his many white shirts. Opening his closet, he pulled out a dark blue button shirt and put it one before grabbing the suit jacket that would complete the outfit. He opened the top drawer to his dresser and removed a tie from it. Cody put on his tie before he stepped out of the room and entered the bathroom. Before anything else was done, he brushed his hair. It was sticking up all over the place and just a huge mess. How come his hair was always so damn messy whenever he slept more than four hours? Shrugging, he brushed it and gelled it before leaving the bathroom.

Making his way to the kitchen, Cody retrieved a coffee mug and poured himself a cup of hot coffee. Turning around, he removed the creamer from the frig and poured a little bit in. Before he could put the creamer back, though, he spotted something on the counter. It was a plate with a Pillsbury Toaster Strudel on it, complete with the icing. Looking at it, a small smile slowly began to spread across his face. Cody knew that he most definitely did not put a strudel in the toaster and he definitely did not put the icing on it. How could he when he was busy getting dressed for work? The only other person in the apartment who could have done it was Evan. Peering around the corner to gaze into the living room, Cody saw that the neko was, indeed, finishing a strudel similar to Cody's.

His smile widened and he drank his coffee and ate his breakfast. When he was finished, he placed his mug and plate in the sink and returned to the bathroom. After he was done brushing his teeth, he made his way back to his bedroom and put on his suit jacket. Leaving the bedroom, he stopped by his study and grabbed his brief case before heading towards the living room, where his shoes and car keys were. Cody flashed Evan a smile before he grabbed his shoes and put them on. Making sure that he had everything, Cody took his car keys and retrieved his brief case from the floor, ready to go to work. Before he left, however, he turned to Evan and, on an impulsive whim, bent down and kissed his cheek. At first, Evan's body stiffened at the contact. But then, he leaned into, closed his eyes, and started to purr, his tail swishing lazily back and forth. Standing up, Cody scratched his ears before speaking.

"Thanks for breakfast, Evan. I appreciate it. I'll see you later tonight."

Evan nodded, his purring growing louder the more Cody scratched. Stopping, Cody stroked the neko's hair before turning and leaving, having to, but not wanting to, go to work. Although it wasn't the first time Cody didn't want to go to work, for once, he didn't want to go for a reason aside from being sick.

…

"Hey, Cody! The meeting's over."

Cody shook his head and looked up at a grinning Ted. They had just had a company meeting, the last thing that had to be done before the day was done and over with, and Cody had been half asleep through the entire thing. Okay, he wasn't actually half asleep; he was just bored out of his mind. Company meetings were always so dull and drab and just were the same as they were when John and Dwayne were here. Watching the two of them bickering was always a riot, especially when they started dating, and no one left the room without a grin on their face. But they were no longer with the company, having moved on to better, greener pastures, which meant that meetings were dull, dull, and dull.

"Yeah, I know. I just can't believe how boring they've gotten now that John and Dwayne aren't here." Ted nodded in understanding and waited as his friend gathered up his belongs. Once he was ready, they made their way back to the Pen so that Cody could gather up the rest of his belongings before leaving for the day.

"I know what ya mean, baby boy. It could be worse though." Cody scoffed.

"Don't say that, Ted! Now that you have, things are really going to get worse. Thanks a lot." Ted rolled his eyes and laughed at the younger man.

"You believe in way too many wives tales for your own good, Cody." Cody shrugged and put his files and papers into his brief case.

"Speaking of which, how have things been with you and your neko?" Cody looked up at him, slightly surprised that Ted asked him about it, before looking back down so that he could close his brief case. Removing his shirt from his chair, Cody put it on as he answered Ted's question.

"Things have been going well. Evan's starting to open up to me and I think he's beginning to trust me. I got him a collar yesterday when we were out and he's wearing it, so that's a good sign." Nodding in agreement, Ted opened his mouth to speak, but someone beat him to the punch.

"Did I hear you correctly, Cody? Do you have a neko now?" Looking up, Cody realized that Mike was standing at his cubical, his usual smug grin on his face, though his eyes looked serious, desperate even. Slightly shocked by this, Cody looked away from him and shrugged.

"Yeah, I do. What's it to you, Mike? I'm kind of tired and I'd like to get home."

"To your neko, right?" Cody's eyes narrowed and he fought the urge to snap at Mike. He's put up with Mike's wanting him for some time now, but he won't put up with the jealousy bullshit, especially when it was aimed unfairly at Evan, who had done nothing wrong.

"Yes, to my neko. Now, if you'll excuse us." Cody grabbed his brief case and he and Ted walked away, making their way out of the office and, ultimately, the building. Ted laughed, though it was forced and turned to his younger friend.

"Don't let Mike bother you, Cody. He's probably just peeved at the fact that you turned him down yesterday and that you have a neko instead of, well, him. You know how narcissistic he is." Cody looked up at his friend and gave him a slight smile, one that didn't reach his eyes.

"I guess. Well, I'll see you later, Ted. Text me, okay?" Ted grinned and watched as Cody started across the parking lot, heading towards his car.

"I'll tweet you!" Cody groaned, but laughed in spite of himself.

"Okay, Ted."

Unlocking his car, Cody got into his car, set his brief case on the passenger seat, and locked his car. Starting it up, he looked at himself in the rear view mirror and sighed. Although he had no reason to be upset that Mike had asked him about having a neko, he was upset. Actually, he felt protective and weary. But why? Mike didn't even know Evan, and Evan wasn't his per se. Sure, Cody 'owned' him, but Evan was his own person and he didn't need Cody to defend him, right? If that was truly the case, then why did Cody get defensive when Mike asked him about Evan?

Feeling lost and detached from his own body, Cody left the parking lot and made his way home, his thoughts running over the entire scene over and over again.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I feel so bad for not updating this story for so long. I need to regain some focus. XD I'd like to thank all of you for supporting this story and my writing for as long as you have. I'll try not to disappoint. R&R. Enjoy!

**As I Breathe You In**

A few weeks had passed and Evan was starting to really settle down in his new life. While his past experiences had told him that he should trust no one, he couldn't help but trust Cody. Cody never looked down at him or mistreated him, and Evan was more than grateful that the taller man was treating him like an equal. No one had ever treated him like an equal and he wasn't entirely sure what to make of Cody at first. He was easily gullible and naïve by nature, but his past had aged him beyond his years and he tried hard not to trust anyone.

That changed when he met Cody.

After the first couple of days with him, Evan had learned that his new owner wasn't going to do anything to him outside the realms of friendship. But after Cody kissed his cheek, his thoughts had shifted slightly. Prior to ending with Cody, Evan had never thought too kindly about his owners. All of them had been bastards and caused him more harm and pain than was necessary. Cody was different though. Aside from his good looks, he was kind and gentle and understanding. Whenever he spoke or touched Evan, especially when he scratched his ears, a tingle would run down Evan' spine and he had to suppress the shudders. Liking the person who owned him was a first for him and it scared the living hell out of Evan.

He barely knew Cody and he had little reason to actually trust him, yet he did. Evan trusted Cody; he trusted him a lot more than he trusted anyone else. And that frightened him. Not only did he trust Cody, but there were other feelings that were bubbling to the surface, feelings that he didn't want to acknowledge. Cody may be a good guy, but Evan knew damn well that he could easily get rid of Evan or just drop him off on some street and drive away. Just like Chris did…

Shaking his head, Evan straightened up and looked at the TV. Currently, he was in the living room, sitting at his usual spot on the couch, watching ID Discovery and doing puzzles in one of his Sudoku books. He still wasn't sure if it was okay that he was watching TV and sitting on the furniture of his own accord, but Cody had reassured him many times that it was. Besides, he had sat down on the couch while Cody was present and he hadn't been punished for it, so it must have been okay.

"God, I'm a freaking mess…"

With all of these strange thoughts and feelings swirling about in his head, Evan was more than a little confused. Ever since he had been taken away from that horrible pet shop, Evan had been battling with himself. Although he trusted Cody, and he knew deep down that he did, part of him didn't want to trust Cody. Why should he, when his previous owners had proven time and time again how stupid and foolish it was for him to trust anyone? But he _did_ trust Cody. His trust in his new owner was almost automatic. More than likely, it was just his fear and paranoia that was making him over think everything because, to be quite frank, Evan didn't not want to trust Cody.

There was something about the taller man that made Evan want to go to him automatically. Cody had an air about him that, to Evan, made him incredibly approachable. Not only that, but Evan wanted to…do things with him. He was used to his owners forcing themselves on him whenever they saw fit and he had been force more times than not to spread his legs for the friends of his owners. And yet, Cody hadn't tried to do anything to him. Aside from that kiss, which Evan really didn't mind at all if he were being honest with himself, Cody hadn't made any sort of move on him. It was weird, unexpected, and nice. However, Evan wouldn't have minded being in the same bed as Cody.

God, he was a pervert! Blushing, he looked down at his Sudoku book and chewed on his bottom lip, his tail swishing back and forth in an agitated manner and his ears laying flat against his head. He definitely should not be thinking of cuddling up close to Cody's warm body and…and doing things with him. Considering his past, he definitely should not want to be beneath Cody, to willingly submit and allow himself to be taken. And Evan had the feeling that, should they ever do…that, Cody would be gentle and loving and would put Evan's desires before his own. Evan could see the taller man being like that; he just seemed to be that kind of person.

Setting his Sudoku book down, Evan got up and wandered into the kitchen. He needed to get his mind off of this stuff and what better way to do so than to make some lunch. When he was younger, he had learned how to cook because Chris had wanted him to learn. Of course, thinking back on it now, Chris had wanted him to learn a lot of things, things that weren't always appropriate in a lot of different circumstances. Although, Evan reluctantly thought as he opened the door to the freezer and looked around, Chris had been the most humane of all of the owners he had had. Until Cody, of course.

Grabbing a bag of popcorn chicken, Evan closed the door and started making himself something to eat.

…

Cody was more than glad to be home. That weird little scene with Mike had put him off of his good mood feeling and he just wanted to punch the man. What Cody did outside of work, and inside of work, was none of Mike's business. If he didn't like the fact that Cody had a neko, tough shit. It would be a cold day in hell should Cody ever get rid of Evan or even treat him badly. There was no way in hell he'd do that. He had just begun to make some progress with the neko; why would he put that in jeopardy?

The answer was simple: he wasn't. Evan was his and no one, especially someone like Mike, was going to get Cody to give him up. Getting out of his car, Cody entered the apartment building and made his way to his apartment…and Evan. God, he must really be shaken up if he was being possessive and overprotective of the smaller man. But so many thoughts were running through his mind.

What if Mike had once owned Evan? If he had, what did he do to him? Would Evan retreat within himself if Cody told him about today? What would Evan do if Cody mentioned Mike? Could any mention of the name Mike bring about any unwanted memories? What would Mike say or do if he found out that Cody owned Evan? Was there any possibility that Evan could be in danger?

Sighing heavily and feeling more defensive than he had when he left work, Cody unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped inside. Closing the door, he shrugged off his jacket and hung his keys on their usual spot by the door. Taking off his shoes, he walked into the living room and smiled when he saw Evan curled up on the couch fast asleep with music videos playing at a low volume on the TV. The scene was so sweet and adorable that he didn't want to disrupt it. Instead, he made his way to his bedroom to change out of his work attire. Opting for a t-shirt and jeans, Cody returned to the living room and sat down in his chair.

Grabbing the remote off of the coffee table, he flipped through the channels as he thought about what to make for dinner. As long as it took his mind off of Mike and what had been said, Cody really didn't care what he made. He spent the next half hour watching _Pawn Shop_ and easing himself into his normal state. Evan began to stir and he yawned and stretched before looking over at Cody, who was smiling softly at hm.

"Were you tired?" Evan nodded and maneuvered himself so that he was sitting up instead of lying down.

"Yeah, a little. So…h-how was work?" Cody's smile dimmed slightly and he shrugged before turning back towards the TV.

"Boring at first. We had a meeting and meetings are always boring nowadays. Afterwards… This one guy in at work, Mike," Cody sighed and looked over at Evan to see if the neko responded in any way at the name, but he didn't. Seeing that Evan was still calm and a bit drowsy from just waking up, he continued.

"He's got a thing for me and he just won't take the hint that I'm not and never will be interested. Well, he heard a friend of mine, Ted, and I talking. I…I told Ted about you since we've been best friends for a while now, and he just wanted to know how things were going. Mike, being the nosy jerk that he is, butted into the conversation and…and I got defensive about you." At this, Evan tilted his head and gave Cody a confused look. Cody smiled reassuringly at him and shrugged.

"I didn't like the fact that he was asking about you. I...I didn't know if he'd know you or anything. And if he had and had treated you badly… I just didn't want him to try and do anything to you."

Cody felt stupid and like a fool explaining himself to Evan, but, to be honest, he wasn't entirely sure why he had gotten so defensive himself. Mike asking about the smaller man had put him on edge and Cody felt as though he was hiding something. However, as he gazed at Evan, the neko's posture and facial expression didn't change all that much. Actually, a small, shy smile made its way onto Evan's face and his cheeks became tinted with a light blush.

"I…I never had a master whose name was Mike. And I've only ever known one Mike, and he was a drug dealer. So I don't think I know the guy you work with." Cody nodded and there was a moment of silence before Evan continued speaking again.

"Cody…I…I appreciate you standing up for me. It makes me feel…it makes me feel better, knowing that you kind of care." A serious expression crossed Cody's face and he got up and sat down beside Evan, who cast his brown eyes downward in a submissive gesture. Hesitantly, not knowing if Evan wanted to be touched at that moment, Cody reached out and placed a hand on the neko's forearm.

"Evan, we may have just met but you're more than just a neko to me. You're my friend and I want you to be happy and comfortable living here with me, and I'm going to do my best to protect you. That's a promise that I'm going to keep regardless of the consequences."

Evan's eyes widened and he stared at Cody, quiet for a minute. Then, he blushed furiously and smiled before he nodded. Reaching up, Cody began to scratch his ears and the neko started to purr softly and leaned towards him. Having the neko so close, feeling the warmth of his body and inhaling his scent, brought more peace to Cody than watching that damn TV. He was calming down and feeling a lot better now that he knew that Evan was okay.

As long as Evan was okay, he was okay.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: It snowed where I live and, although it's lovely to look at, I wish it would melt away. I can't wait for spring to come; I'm so tired of being half froze. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Thank you all for your constant support; it's nice to know that y'all like what I'm doing. R&R. Enjoy!

**As I Breathe You In**

Cody sighed as he sat at his desk, trying to create the power point slide show for the presentation next Monday. It was Friday and two weeks had passed since his 'confrontation' with Mike, as Ted liked to call it. Rolling his eyes, Cody typed in a few key points that would start off the presentation as he thought about how ridiculous his best friend could be sometimes. Although he needed to get this slide show done before the day was up, or take it home and work on it over the weekend, Cody's thoughts were focused on Evan.

His relationship with Evan had been going strong and stable. It seemed as though the neko was finally relaxed and at home with Cody and their apartment. Their apartment. As he thought about it, a goofy smile spread across his face. There were times when Cody realized that he was behaving like a teenage girl in love. But he quickly pushed that thought away. Aside from it making him sound like a girl, Cody knew that his feelings for Evan were just that of friendship. Right? Just because he acknowledged mentally that the smaller man was attractive and hot and…at times, sexy, didn't mean that he liked liked Evan. Right?

Sighing, Cody rested his hands on his lap and he stared down at them, ignoring his project. Who was he fooling? To him, it was quite obvious that he had feelings stronger than friendship for Evan; he just hoped that Evan hadn't noticed them yet. After all, it had barely been over a month or two since he had first dragged Evan out of that pet shop; it was far too soon, too early, for him to develop such strong feelings for another person. Even so, Cody had to admit that he had never felt so intently for another person before. Never before had he felt the need to protect someone or to make them happy, and never before had he actually _wanted_ to protect and make someone happy. Having these feelings concerned him. What if Evan found out and was frightened or repulsed by them? What would happen if he demanded to leave? Cody knew that he wouldn't force Evan to stay; hell, he wouldn't force Evan to do anything. But how could he live with himself if Evan was disgusted by him? Just because his previous masters forced him to have sex didn't necessarily mean that Evan was into guys or anything.

Cody was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice Ted was standing there until he felt a hand grip his shoulder. Jumping about ten feet in the air, Cody whipped around and glared daggers at his best friend before he poked him in his side. Automatically, Ted started to laugh and, with an evil smile on his face, Cody started poking him repeatedly.

"S-s-s-stop it, C-C-Cody!" Cody stopped and watched as Ted panted, trying to catch his breath.

"That's what you get for making a jackass out of yourself. Why'd you sneak up on me?" Ted calmed down some and looked down at him, a smile on his face.

"I came to see how you were doing. So, how's the power point coming along?" Cody looked down, slightly embarrassed by his lack of progress.

"I…uh, I just got it started. I got caught up on something else. But I've got the main points of it down. It would be long before the rest falls into place." Ted nodded in understand.

"Okay. As long as you get it finished before you go home." Cody's brow furrowed and he looked up at Ted.

"I can always take it home and work on it if I don't get it done, Ted. You know that just as much as I do. I mean, it wouldn't be the first time." Ted shook his head and grinned down at him.

"I know that. But how are you going to get it finished tomorrow when you've got company?" Confusion took over and Cody stared at his friend as though he had grown a second head.

"Ted, what the hell are you talking about?" Ted's grin widened.

"I'm talking about this: Randy and I are coming over tomorrow night to hang out and meet your neko. It was Randy's idea and I thought it was brilliant considering it's been forever since we last hung out. Besides, I want to meet the object of your affections." Cody blushed and he gaped up at his best friend, who was looking quite pleased with himself.

"Buh-buh-but I never… How did you…? Teddy….!" Ted laughed and ruffled Cody's hair, making the younger man growl.

"You never had to say anything, Cody. It's as plain as the nose on your face that you've got a thing for the neko. I see it whenever you talk about it. And I want to meet him so that I can sleep at night. I can't just let my best friend be with someone I don't know and approve of." Cody scoffed.

"Thank you, mother hen. You can stop caring now." Ted laughed again but then turned serious.

"Seriously though, Cody. I want to make sure that you'll be okay and that you won't get hurt." Cody rolled his eyes.

"I'm not going to get hurt. I'm not going to tell him about my feelings, whatever they may be. And besides, when did you just decide that you could invite yourself over without my permission, huh? Maybe Evan and I have somewhere to be or something." This time, Ted rolled his eyes and he leaned on Cody's chair, watching him as he started typing information into the next slide.

"Please, Cody. If you had a date with Evan, you would've been gushing about it. And like I said, Randy's the one who decided."

"More on the lines that you forced him to agree with it." Ted grinned a wicked grin and stood up straight.

"He knows how I roll. If I'm not happy, no one's happy, especially if I'm not happy enough to suck his-"

"Oh my, God, I so don't need to hear this. Ted, get out. Don't you have something productive to do aside from annoying me?" Ted laughed and Cody just glared harder at his best friend.

"Yeah, I do have something to do. Our boss. See ya tomorrow night, Cody. Don't forget, we're playing Mario Party on your Wii." Cody watched as his friend walked away, leaving him alone to finish the power point. Shaking his head, hardly believing that he was friends with such a creature, he returned back to his computer screen and started working.

"I cannot believe I am friends with _that!"_

Concern ebbed up inside of him, but he didn't have the time to deal with it. When he got home, he would talk to Evan about Randy and Ted coming over Saturday night and, hopefully, the neko would be okay with that. If not, then he didn't know what he'd do.

…

Evan's ears perked up when he heard Cody coming down the hallway. A smile crept onto his face as he heard the keys being inserted into the door. He always looked forward to this time of day. When Cody was away at work, he felt…lonely, which was weird because he had never felt lonely before. Not in regards to his previous owners, at least. But he liked how he felt whenever he was around Cody; it was as though he could finally be himself and no one was going to hurt him for it.

However, the feelings he had been trying to suppress before were becoming more apparent, more out there. Evan found that he was more talkative than he had ever been. And whenever Cody scratched his ears, he always leaned into his touch and purred. Not just that, but his feelings were growing. Sometimes, he'd catch himself standing outside Cody's bedroom late at night, wanting to enter the room and cuddle up against the taller man. He didn't just want to cuddle though; he also wanted to kiss Cody and to do…well, other things. A soft blush crept on his face as he thought about it, but he couldn't help himself. The feelings he had were becoming too strong, way too strong, and it'd be sooner rather than later that they would emerge, make themselves known, and cause his control to crumble to smithereens.

The door opened and Cody walked in. As soon as he saw Evan, he smiled, bright and warm, and Evan felt himself returning the smile automatically. Standing up, he made his way over to Cody, who took off his shoes and returned his keys to their usual spot.

"Hey, Evy. How was your day?" Evan's tail swished back and forth, even more evidence that he was happy to see the taller man come home.

"It was good. How was your day?" Cody shrugged and walked into the kitchen. Like a young kitten, Evan followed him, wanting to be near him to satisfy his hunger. But…what hunger was it? What was he hungry for?

"Mine was pretty good. I had to rush to finish a power point presentation that I have to give Monday. But it's done and I don't have to work over the weekend."

"That's good." Cody nodded and opened the freezer. He examined the contents before he turned to look at Evan.

"We need to go grocery shopping, Evan. There's nothing in here." Cody chuckled and Evan couldn't help but laugh. Cody yawned and scratched the back of his neck before closing the freezer door and facing Evan.

"I need to tell you something and I'm not sure how you'll react." Evan stared at him, not sure what to think. Surely, if something was incredibly wrong, Cody would have told him right off the bat, right? So maybe it wasn't anything too serious.

"My friends from work, Ted and Randy, they're coming over tomorrow night to hang out. We haven't hung out for a while and they wanted to meet you. Will you be okay with that? I mean, they're not bad people; they're both really nice when you get to know them. Randy's scary when you first meet him, but he scares everyone. And he's a big softie on the inside; trust me on that one."

Evan started at Cody, but was lost in his own thoughts. New people. New people were coming over tomorrow, people he had never met before in his entire life. He was comfortable with Cody, more than comfortable actually, this was different. Although Cody talked about Ted and Randy, Evan still didn't know them and the thought of meeting new people made him edgy. But they were Cody's friends, so they couldn't be all that bad, right? It was his past that was making him feel and think that way; he was sure of it, but he had good reason to think and feel that way, right? Looking into Cody's eyes, Evan knew that, if he raised enough fuss, Cody would call the whole thing off. It was obvious in those eyes that he had started to know so well, but he knew that it'd be selfish of him to ask Cody to call it off.

"I…I don't know them, but I…I want to meet them. You talk about them so much that I want to meet them, to see what they look like and how they are." Cody relaxed and Evan could help but calm down a little bit. Without realizing it, he was pulled into a warm embrace and Evan felt himself relaxing into it, enjoying it.

"They're not mean or anything, Evan, so you're not going to get hurt. I promise. You'll have a good time. Just wait and see." Evan nodded and he smiled softly when he felt Cody press a kiss to his hair. His tail wrapped around his leg and he purred softly. Being like this was a whole new experience for him, and he liked it. He liked it a lot.

"Okay. I trust you, Cody. If you say I'll have a good time, then I will." All too soon, their embrace ended and Cody gave Evan a smile that took his breath away.

"I'm so glad to hear that you trust me, Evan. I really am." He smoothed Evan's hair before he laughed softly.

"Now come on. Let's go grocery shopping. With Ted and Randy coming over tomorrow, we're going to need all of the food we can get."

Laughing, Evan followed Cody out of the apartment and down to the car. While he was still nervous, he was able to squash his nerves as he and Cody got in the car and drove off. Evan had meant what he said: he did trust Cody. He knew, deep down, that Cody wouldn't hurt him or allow him to be hurt by others. So he was able to relax and they shopped for groceries and returned home to put the stuff away.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I totally didn't realize that this is the eleventh chapter of this story. Wow… XD So, are you all ready for the Royal Rumble? I've already ordered it so I know I am. 8D I'm so excited for it. Well, here's the next chapter. R&R. Enjoy!

**As I Breathe You In**

Evan woke up feeling nervous and apprehensive. He had no idea when Ted and Randy were going to arrive and he had no idea what they were like, how'd they react to him, or if they'd like him. In the past, when his owners had introduced him to their friends, they had been interested in only one thing: sex. But these were Cody's friends and they weren't interested in sleeping with him, right? Sitting on the edge of the bed, he shook his head and rubbed his eyes, silently hoping that nothing bad happened.

He really liked Cody. A lot more than he probably should, but he did and he didn't want anything to change that. Nor did he want Cody to change his perception of him. If Ted or Randy did anything that put Evan in a…unsavory position, then he would defend himself. Violently, if necessary. Evan sincerely hoped that he wouldn't have to do so. Being with Cody made him want to trust and open himself up more and more. Cody was proof that good people existed; it was Evan who had the bad luck, what with being born a neko and being raised to do what you were told. But, hopefully, things would go well today.

Getting off of the bed, Evan grabbed jeans and a t-shirt and put them on quickly. Cody was already up; Evan could hear him occasionally so he knew that Cody was awake for sure. Even though new people were coming over, he knew he'd be okay as long as Cody was there with him. He stretched and yawned before he left his room and made his way to the kitchen. There, wearing a plain pair of jeans and a t-shirt, was Cody, making coffee as was the norm. The neko stood there, watching him, thinking about how different Cody actually was from any of his other owners. After being with the taller man for a little while, Evan wondered if there would be anything more between them aside from friendship and if he really wanted there to be something more when it came down to it.

"Hey, you're awake. Were you tired last night?" Evan's ears perked up and he straightened up when he noticed that Cody was looking at him, smiling that handsome smile of his. His tail curled around his leg and he nodded, returning the smile.

"Yeah, I guess I was… How'd you sleep?" Cody laughed and pulled out a box of Pillsbury Toaster Strudel.

"I slept like the dead. It was nice; I needed it. Especially if Ted and Randy are coming over. Are you sure you're okay with them coming?"

When Cody mentioned the 'dead' part, Evan's heart sped up. Just the thought of Cody's body, lifeless and cold, made him want to hide under a rock. He didn't know what he'd do if Cody passed away suddenly or was killed by some fiend, but he knew that he would never be the same. Regardless of all that he's witnessed, nothing would ever prepare him for Cody's passing. And he truly hoped that he'd stay with the taller man long enough to see an old, ripe age.

"Evan?" The worried tone in Cody's voice jarred Evan from his mental ramblings and he gave him a sheepish smile.

"Sorry. I was…lost in my thoughts, I guess. And as long as you're here, I'll be fine." Cody smiled gently at him and Evan could see an emotion in his eyes that he had never seen before, but he liked it.

"It'll be fun. You'll see." Cody reached out and petted his hair softly, before he continued to make breakfast for them.

…

When there was a knock on the door to the apartment, Cody got up and walked over to it. Before he opened it up, he looked over at Evan, who gave him a small smile and nodded his head, silently telling him that he was ready. Nodding back, Cody took a deep breath before he opened the door. Immediately, he was pulled into a tight bear hug by Ted, who was grinning like a fool. Randy stood behind him and placed a hand on Ted's back when Cody tried to escape from the hug.

"Teddy, I think you're choking him. Let him go." Ted released him at once and shot Cody a mischievous grin.

"Sorry, Codes. So, are you ready to have the time of your life?" Cody couldn't help but laugh at his friend. Letting them inside the apartment, he closed the door and shook his head.

"Randy, I don't see how you can put up with _that_ day in and day out." Randy shrugged and a small smile crept on his face. It widened when Ted opened his mouth and gaped at him.

"What?"

"It's hard, I'm not going to lie. And there are times when I just want to kick it, but I guess it's worth it." Ted frowned and jabbed Randy with his elbow.

"I'm not an 'it' or a 'that'. I'm a Ted!" Cody grinned, purposefully ignoring his friend and continued with his conversation with Randy.

"Worth it? I'm surprised you don't have a headache twenty-four seven." Randy laughed and Ted growled and glared at Cody, who merely shrugged.

"I keep a bottle of Tylenol on me at all times."

"Okay, that's enough!" Ted glared at Randy, who merely raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by his lover's anger.

"I'm standin' right here, listening to this bullshit, and it is soooo not funny! Y'all think ya can just carry on and ignore me like I ain't even here. Well, that's so not gonna fly with me!" Cody tried really hard to suppress his laughter, he really did. A few giggles managed to escape, but Ted's still heated glare was directed solely at Randy at this point, so his laughter went unnoticed.

"And you! You think yer so hot and sexy. Well, I'd just like t' see how hot and sexy ya are when ya ain't tapping this piece of fiiiiine Southern ass." Randy's smile disappeared and he turned serious as he looked at his lover, although Cody could still see the traces of humor in his pale eyes.

"What are you trying to say exactly, Theodore?" Even though Randy didn't use his nickname as he usually did, which often meant that he wasn't a happy camper, Ted didn't waver. He remained strong and determined.

"I'm sayin' that yer soooo not gonna get any sex for a few days! And if you have any kind of problem with that, then you can just blame yerself. 'Cause it's all yer fault!" Ted, arms crossed over his chest, turned away from Randy and huffed. Cody laughed softly before he walked passed his two friends and made his way over to Evan, who was standing up and watching the entire exchange with perked up ears and eyes full of curiosity and confusion.

"Are they…always like this?" Evan's voice was soft and hesitant, but Cody knew that it was because he was nervous. Wrapping an arm around Evan's shoulders, he steered the neko towards Ted and Randy, a grin on his face.

"Oh yeah. Sometimes they're worse. It depends, I guess. But they're nice people." Cody cleared his throat and Randy and Ted both turned around and faced them. Almost at once, Ted's anger melted away and a sly, mischievous grin spread across his face quickly. Before Cody or Randy could say or do anything, Ted made his way over to the neko and grabbed his hand, shaking it enthusiastically.

"Ah, so… you're the Evan that our little Cody had been talking about nonstop. It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Theodore DiBiase, but call me Ted or Teddy. Everybody else does." Evan gave Ted a small smile and he hesitantly shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you too. And yeah, I'm…I'm Evan." The neko looked up at Cody, who was blushing and giving Ted an evil look. Ted, of course, caught it and he grinned and released Evan's hand.

"I can see why Cody always likes to talk about you. The two of you look adorable together." Cody's blush deepened at that and he groaned inwardly. This was so not what he needed, not right now, not when his relationship with Evan was becoming stronger every day.

"Ted, you really need to stop talking. Like, right now." Before Ted could protest, Randy came up, placed a hand on his shoulder, and shook Evan's hand with his free one.

"Forgive him; Ted can be an idiot when he wants to be." Evan shook his hand and shrugged, offering a wider smile. Cody watched him and he couldn't help but feel relieved

"It's okay. I don't mind it."

"I'm Randy, by the way. I'm Cody's boss and friend. We've known each other for a while. He does talk about you often and he was right on the money about you." Evan gave Cody a look tinted with confusion, but Cody didn't explain.

How could he tell Evan that he had told his two closest friends that the neko was a shy, cute thing? How could he say out loud that he thought Evan was cute, sexy, and the only one he's been able to think about? Simple: he couldn't. Not yet. Not until he was sure that Evan was completely comfortable and secure with him. And even then, he may not tell the neko what he truly thought about him, more out of respect for Evan than anything else. Cody still didn't know a lot about Evan's past and he didn't want to confess his thoughts and feelings if they brought up unpleasant memories and ordeals.

"Nice to meet you…Randy." Cody couldn't help but feel even more relieved when Evan smiled at the tattooed man. While Randy may appear to be frightening and angry, he was usually calm, collected, and, at times, a bit of an air head. But not many people tried to get to know him that well because, well, he intimidated them too much. It was a shame, but at least Evan didn't look frightened or intimidated.

"Anyway, enough of the pleasantries. I think it's time for a game of Mario Party!" Ted's grin was infectious, and soon everyone was smiling, even Evan.

They played games for about two hours before Cody got up and put a few pizzas in the oven. As he placed the pizzas on their respective trays, he listened to Randy, Ted, and Evan talk and he was happy to hear that they were getting along just fine. While they had been playing Mario Party, Cody had been keeping an eye on Evan and he saw that the neko was relaxing and enjoying himself. It made him feel relaxed himself. He had been unsure and tense about this entire thing, what with knowing that Evan had had a very rough life and wasn't one who easily trusted others, but it appeared that the smaller man was getting along great with his two friends. Knowing that they three of them were getting along made Cody thankful, especially because the atmosphere was no longer tense and uncomfortable.

After he put the pizzas in the oven, he returned to the living room and they started up another game as they waited for the food to finish baking. They all sat on the couch: Randy and Ted at one end while Cody and Evan took up the other end. Being close to Evan, being able to feel and know that he was having fun and comfortable with the other two, allowed Cody to have a good time as well. When the pizzas were done, the game was paused and everyone got up to crowd the kitchen and eat. They talked, laughed, and carried on, even Evan, and it felt…right. It felt normal; almost as though this happened every weekend or something. And Cody just hoped that Evan noticed that as well.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Are you all ready for the Royal Rumble this evening? I know I am and I am so excited! Anyway, here's the next chapter. R&R. Enjoy!

**As I Breathe You In**

Cody smiled as he watched Randy and Ted walk down the hall before he closed the door to his apartment. They had had an awesome time and he was a little sad to see them go. Well, not all that sad, because when Ted got tired, he turned into a Scrooge of a man and that wasn't a good thing. Turning around towards the living room, Cody smiled when his eyes landed on Evan, who was curled up on the couch, fast asleep. The neko had fallen asleep over an hour ago, tired and played out from all of the excitement that had been going on. When they were sure he was asleep, Cody, Randy, and Ted entered the kitchen and talked quietly before it was time to leave.

As he watched the smaller man sleep, Cody couldn't help but rewind the entire night inside his mind's eye. After the slightly awkward introductions, Evan had warmed up to Randy and Ted. Actually, as they played games and ate, the three of them started to joke around and treat each other like friends. Okay, Ted was the one who did most of the joking, but the connection was there and Cody had seen it. Seeing that they were getting along, watching as Evan opened himself up to Ted and Randy so easily, made him thank whatever God there was that he had found the neko when he did. If he hadn't, then Evan would probably still be stuck in that horrid pet shop and he would still be having trust issues. However, it seemed that Evan was opening up and was doing so more easily than he had done when he first met Cody.

Perhaps it was because he was with Cody now that allowed Evan to get along with Ted and Randy so well. Maybe it was because of Ted and Randy's individual personalities themselves. Whatever the cause, it was helping Evan and that was all that Cody wanted. More than anything, he wanted Evan to feel at home, to become comfortable here, and to come into his own. For all of his life, Evan had been forced to submit and to obey even the cruelest of owners. Now that he didn't have to do that anymore, he was free to become whatever he wanted. He was free to be whoever he wanted to be, and Cody only hoped that Evan took the chance and went with it.

Locking the door, Cody made his way to the living room. Turning off the TV and the game console, he started picking up the dishes and cups that had been used during the course of the night. Although Cody wasn't one who usually ate a lot of junk food, he always had his fair share whenever Ted was over. It was one trait that he both loved and hated about his best friend. But Evan had been eating his fair share as well, which was definitely a good thing because he still looked underweight and skinny.

Setting the dishes in the skin, Cody closed the bags of chips and pretzels and returned them to their proper place in the cupboards. He would have started washing the dishes, but it was too late and he was too tired to do so. Besides, he didn't want to wake up Evan with all of the noise that he'd be causing. The neko needed his sleep and he looked so sweet and relaxed and comfortable when he was sleeping. After he turned off the kitchen lights, Cody made his way to the bathroom and took a quick shower before he changed into a clean pair of boxers and a t-shirt. Making his way out to the living room, he bent down and ran his fingers through Evan's soft hair.

Closing his eyes, Cody relished in the feel of how silky and soft the smaller man's hair was. And it smelled amazing too. Sighing contentedly, Cody opened his eyes and watched the slumbering neko with eyes filled with love and warmth. He hated the very thought of disturbing Evan's sleep, but he'd feel better having the neko sleep in his own bed. If someone tried to break into the apartment, Evan would be an all too easy target, and there was no way in hell Cody would let that happen.

"Evan? Wake up, sweetie. It's time to go to bed." Evan mumbled and stretched, but his eyes remained closed. Cody laughed softly before he tried again.

"Evan? Eeeeeeevan?"

"Hm?" The tired sound came out soft and almost inaudible, but it had been heard nonetheless. Cody thought it was the most adorable thing he had ever heard.

"It's time to go to bed, Evan. You gotta get up."

Those doe brown eyes opened up and looked at him. They were glazed over from sleep and Cody couldn't help but admire Evan's beauty when he yawned and sat up, looking so sleepy and cute that it made Cody want to hug him and kiss him. But he didn't. He wouldn't. Not until he was sure that Evan was okay with such gestures. And who knows? Evan may never become comfortable with such gestures. For all Cody knew, the neko may just want to remain friends, and if that was what Evan wanted, then that was what Cody would give him.

"'Kay…" Sitting up, Evan stretched and yawned again before he tried to stand up. His tired legs gave out on him and he fell back onto the couch. Cody smiled softly and helped him up.

"You must have had a lot of fun to be this tired." Evan nodded and leaned against him, nuzzling his neck only just as they made their way down the hall. The gesture made Cody's skin tingle and crave more, but he refused to give in to such desires. If Evan wanted more and was comfortable with more, then Cody would respond. But until then, he forced himself to remain in check, even though it may have been difficult for him.

"Get some rest, Evan. I'll see you in the morning, okay?" Evan nodded and ran a hand through his hair.

"Okay. Good night, Cody." Cody gave Evan a small smile.

"Good night, Evan. Sweet dreams."

…

He was staring up at his owner, his brown eyes wide with fear and hopelessness. He crawled backwards, trying to escape, but it was a futile effort. His back hit the wall and he silently cursed his own stupidity. It was all his fault. He was about to get beat within an inch of his life all because he had failed to obey his owner. Because he hadn't gotten his owner his coffee sooner than he actually had, he was going to be beat.

Occurrences like this were common place. His owner would beat him for the most insignificant things imaginable. For breathing too loud. For breathing at all. For looking at him. For taking too long to grab his bags, his drinks, his food. For taking too long in general. For being lousy in bed. The list went on and on and it was infinite, never ending, and a horrible reminder of how things had gotten worse when Chris had been murdered for a drug deal gone wrong. At least Chris had been more lenient and understanding. Chris had understood that he would need a few days to get back to normal after a severe beating, but his current owner didn't care.

His current owner towered over him, a belt gripped tightly in his hands as he glared down at him. Those eyes held no love for him, no concern or regret. All that was present in those otherwise vacant eyes was anger. Anger at Evan. Because he didn't get his owner's coffee to him within a reasonable amount of time.

The belt was raised and Evan looked down, eyes shut tight, and his body anticipating the beating and pain that was to come.

He woke up with a start, tears streaming down his face, before the belt could connect. Evan sat up in his bed, the blankets and sheets a mess at his feet. His chest rose and fell with every pant, every breath. A nightmare. That's all it had been. A horrible nightmare about his past. His entire being shook; hell, even his soul was shaking, and Evan unconsciously got out of his bed and left the room.

Without even thinking about it, he walked into Cody's room and scrambled onto the bed. He didn't care what time it was and he didn't care that he was overreacting. All he cared about was seeking safety and comfort from the one person he wanted safety and comfort from: Cody. Evan was still shaking and crying when he snuggled up to Cody, his arms wrapping around the taller man's frame. Practically clinging to him, Evan sobbed into Cody's white shirt, unaware of the fact that Cody had woken up. It was only when he heard Cody speak that he realized that he was awake and he trembled even more and held onto him for dear life.

"Evan? Evan, what's wrong?" Shaking his head, Evan merely buried his face against Cody's neck, his tears wetting the tanned skin and his sobbing breaths ghosting over the warmth that Cody naturally radiated.

Cody didn't speak after that. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Evan's trembling frame and held him. One of his hands rubbed his back, caressing it gently, while the other petted his hair, smoothing the tousled locked down. A soft kiss was pressed to his head and Evan felt his body starting to calm down. The tears continued to flow though and his body didn't stop trembling until a good ten to fifteen minutes later. His tears continued to fall from his eyes, but his sobs had stopped. Every once in a while, he would hiccup and a small sob would escape him, but they weren't as bad as beforehand.

As he calmed down, Cody continued to rub his back and pet his hair. Every so often, Cody would place a soft kiss to Evan's hair and that only made Evan hold onto him tighter. When his tears stopped flowing, he sighed softly and cuddled against Cody, relaxing in his warmth and comfort, feeling safe and secure for the first time in a long time. After a good five minutes or so had passed, Cody spoke up once more, his voice soft and gentle, as though he was afraid that he'd startle and frighten Evan even more.

"I'm not going to push you and make you tell me what's wrong. Whenever you're ready to talk, I'll be here, ready to listen."

Evan nodded and closed his eyes, listening to the heart beat of the man who was holding him and protecting him. Cody's hands rubbed his back, soothing him and lulling him back into the possessive hands of sleep. His eyes began to feel heavy and he fought like crazy to keep them open. Without putting much thought into it, Evan wrapped his tail around Cody's thigh, wanting as much physical contact and comfort as possible. As he listened to the familiar heart beat and basked in the gentle touch that Cody was giving him, Evan began to drift back into the realm of sleep.

His last waking thought before he fell asleep was that he was going to tell Cody about his nightmares and that he'd much rather sleep with him than alone. Just in case.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I apologize for taking so long to update. Work has left me incredibly drained and worn out, which effects my writing immensely. But, I just hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint you. Thanks for all of the support, y'all! It's much appreciated. R&R. Enjoy!

**As I Breathe You In**

Slowly, ever so slowly, Evan regained consciousness and woke up from his dreamless sleep. But he didn't open his eyes. He didn't want to. All he wanted to do was go back to sleep and remained cuddled against Cody's warm body. So, wrapping his tail tighter around Cody's leg, Evan did just that. Tightening his hold on the taller man, Evan cuddled up against him and sighed softly.

As he listened to Cody's heart beat, he gradually became aware of the fact that a hand was running down his back, rubbing it gently and in a soothing manner. When his senses came back to him, Evan stilled and tensed up, knowing that Cody would have been able to tell. He half expected Cody to speak or something, maybe even kick him out of the room, but he didn't. Cody didn't utter a word; all he did was rub Evan's back in the same soothing manner as he had been without stopping. Evan relaxed and he opened his eyes.

Bright sunlight filled his vision and he hissed softly as he closed them. Blinking a few times, he opened his eyes slightly, allowing them time to adjust, before opening them all the way. Moving his head just a little bit, Evan looked up at Cody's face and he was met with understanding and concerned eyes filled with a plethora of emotions. At first, he found that he couldn't think; all he could do was move his tail so that it was wrapped around Cody's waist and snuggle closer.

"Hey…" Cody's voice was soft and gentle and it made Evan smile slightly.

"Hey…" Cody's hand stopped rubbing his back and they both came to rest of Evan's sides. He started to purr softly as those hands began to stroke his sides.

"So…did you want to talk about last night?" Evan looked up at him, his brown eyes meeting with Cody's hazel, and he sighed. He made up his mind last night that he'd tell Cody about his nightmares, and now was the best time to do it.

"Y-yeah, I do." Evan, reluctantly, maneuvered his body so that he was sitting up. Cody sat up and leaned against the bed's head board and Evan took a deep breath.

"Um…I…I get these really….really bad nightmares. About…y'know, stuff that happened to me with my other owners." Evan paused and he watched Cody. But all the taller man did was smile at him encouragingly and nod for him to continue.

"Well….uh…I had one last night." Just recalling the nightmare made Evan shiver and tense up. Cody reached out and pulled him on his lap, where Evan cuddled closer to him. With his new owner's arms wrapped around him and his body heat comforting him, Evan felt himself calm down.

"What happened?" Evan took a deep breath and started to speak.

"One of my past…owners... I mean…" Cody cupped his cheek and caressed it.

"It's okay. Take all of the time you need."

"'Kay… My first owner was Chris. He took me from my mom when I was….like, seven I think." Evan watched as Cody's eyes widened with surprise and shock.

"Seven? You were taken from your mom when you were seven?" Evan shrugged.

"It's not that uncommon. Most of the bad parts of cities have pet shops with nekos who are sold or stolen at a young age. I'm lucky to have been with my mother for so long. There were some who were already bought and paid for before they were even born." Cody shook his head.

"But…there are laws in place." Evan laughed a short and humorless laugh.

"If you ever lived in the undesirable part of town, you'd know that there are very few law abiding citizens." Cody nodded.

"Touché. Continue you."

"Anyway, Chris was a…very well known drug lord. He ran the city with an iron fist and he was well known for taking what he wanted. And I guess that…uh, when he saw me in that pet shop, he decided that he wanted me. So, he took me and I lived with him until he was killed. I was thirteen."

"Damn. You spent six years with him." Evan nodded as he vaguely recalled those years.

"Yeah… Chris had a slight temper, but he was the most…understanding of my owner, up until I met you, that is. When he died, he left me to his friend and his friend was…a very, very bad man. He'd…he'd punish me for stupid things like breathing too loud or taking too long to get him a drink… And…well…" Cody seemed to catch on because he nodded and began to gently scratch Evan's ear.

"That's what the nightmare was about." He finished Evan's sentence and the neko nodded, unsure of how to continue. But as Cody kept scratching his ear, Evan felt a bit more relaxed and confident.

"Yeah… Um, I have something to…to ask you." Cody smiled at him, his eyes brightening up.

"You can ask me anything, Evan. I don't mind." A small smile spread across Evan's lips and he felt his mood lighten.

"Okay then… Um, would…would it be too much to ask if I slept with you...in your bed from now on? It's just…you know, because of my nightmares…. I'd feel better, more secure, if I were sleeping with you. Please."

Evan looked down, feeling embarrassed and self-conscious about asking such a question. It was very possible that Cody would say no. Why would he say yes anyway? After all, Evan was just a neko and a full grown one at that. He could defend himself and protect himself within his own bedroom. But Evan knew that Cody wouldn't say that or even think it. Although they hadn't been together for a large amount of time, Evan knew that Cody wasn't going to kick him to the curb over such a request. Hell, he doubted it if the taller man would kick him to the curb over anything.

"If you're comfortable with it, then you're more than welcome to sleep with me in my bed, Evan." Evan's ears perked up and he looked up. Cody was smiling and he moved his hand so that it was smoothing down his hair.

"You're…you're really okay with it?" Cody's smiled widened.

"Really really."

Evan, unable to control himself, flung himself at Cody and hugged him for all he was worth. The act a bit out of character for him, but he didn't care. Cody knew about his nightmares and a little about his past and he was still going to allow Evan to sleep next to him in his bed. All of that in addition to everything else he has done for Evan made the neko believe, really and truly believe, that Cody cared about him. His trust in Cody and how he felt for his new owner couldn't be denied now. Now, Evan knew that he trusted and cared for Cody more than anyone else he's ever met.

…

Cody smiled lovingly at Evan, not completely aware that he was doing so, before he pressed a gentle kiss to the neko's dark hair. He thought that Evan would tense and flinch away from such an act, but he didn't. Although Evan did wince ever so slightly, he began to purr softly and his tail swished back and forth in a relaxed manner, indicating that he was okay. Pulling away reluctantly, Cody scratched Evan's ear once more before he let his hand dropped to the bed.

"So…are you hungry?" Evan's brown eyes light up and Cody felt his breath catch in his throat.

"Yeah, I am." As though to prove a point, the smaller man's stomach growled and a light blush dusted Evan's cheeks. Cody laughed before petting Evan's hair and maneuvering himself so that he could get out of bed.

"Well then, how about I make us some chocolate chip pancakes?" Evan got up and, together, they left the bedroom and made their way to the kitchen.

"I didn't know you could make pancakes." Cody grinned and he felt pride bubble up inside of his chest.

"Oh yeah. My mom and dad love 'em. So do Ted and Randy, but I really want to know your opinion."

As Cody gather the bowl, the pancake mix, and the chocolate chips, he thought about the night before and about waking up to find Evan still holding onto him for dear life. Seeing the neko so upset and distraught broke his heart and he hated knowing that there wasn't much he could do to help him. He wanted to do more for Evan than let the smaller man sleep with him in his bed, but he had no idea what to do. Cody was still trying to sort how he felt about the neko and he didn't want to say or do anything that would cause Evan to withdraw from him.

Pouring some of the pancake batter into the frying pan, Cody watched over it, all too aware of Evan's excited eyes watching his every move. While he had no idea what he was going to do or if he should even do anything, Cody knew that he would definitely have to talk to Evan about it. It was only fair, considering that Evan had told him a little about himself, even if it was only a small part. But he would only talk to Evan when he had at least come to terms that the feelings he had were more than that of concern and worry over a friend.

He just hoped that Evan wouldn't freak out on him when he decided to talk to the neko about those feelings.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: There's so much that I have to do and there's no time for me to do it all in. But such is the life of a working college student. I'm glad y'all liked the last chapter. I hope you like this one. R&R. Enjoy!

**As I Breathe You In**

Weeks passed and things had been pretty much the same for Cody. Work was a never ending succession of meetings, projects, and putting up with Mike. It seemed, to Cody at least, that Mike was becoming more agitated and troubled. Normally, Cody wouldn't have cared, but they were currently working on a project together and he wasn't sure if Mike was going to be able to pull through. He hated the thought of having to do the entire project by himself, but if Mike wasn't going to help out, then Cody would do what he'd have to do.

Aside from work, everything had been going well. Really well. His relationship with Evan hadn't progressed past the scratching, petting, and the occasional kiss of comfort stage, but Cody had finally been able to come to terms with his feelings. He could no longer deny that he saw Evan as more than a friend; he could no longer deny that he wasn't attracted to him.

Because the truth was that Cody was attracted to him and cared for him more than he cared for anyone else. Evan was on a completely different pedestal than Ted and Randy and Cody had finally admitted that to himself. How could he continue lying to himself when he always thought about how cute and sexy Evan was, especially when he was cuddling up against Cody as they slept? And their sleeping arrangements were both a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing because Cody got to cuddle with Evan and hold him without appearing to be a total creeper. However, it was a curse because Cody usually had erotic dreams about the neko and often woke up hard.

And he knew that, on some level, Evan was aware of this. Cody waking up with a hard on wasn't exactly something that he could cover up right away. And since he always got up before Evan, he couldn't very well dart to the bathroom. It would wake Evan up and the neko would ask him what was wrong and then Cody would tell him.

Of course, Cody had feeling that Evan returned his feelings. Although he wasn't sure, he had a little hunch that told him that he was right. He noticed the blush that would tint Evan's cheeks whenever Cody caught the smaller man staring at him. And the fact that Evan purred like an engine when Cody scratched his ears and caressed his tail and the way he always cuddled with Cody when they were in bed going to sleep made him believe that the neko liked it. More than a friend, that is, and his only hope was that he wasn't imagining any of the signs that he had seen. If he had, then he'd look like an utter fool when he would pour his heart out to the neko.

But Cody wasn't going to tell him yet. They had only just started sleeping in the same bed a few weeks ago, so why put any pressure on the neko? While Evan had told him a little bit about his past, there was still a lot that had been left unsaid and Cody didn't want to back the neko into a corner. Quite the opposite actually; he wanted to take care of the smaller man, make sure he was happy, and, perhaps someday, love him like he deserved to be loved.

Cody left the restroom and made his way back to his cubical. Once he arrived, he saw that his bag had fallen over and some of the contents had spilled out. Rolling his eyes, he crouched down and put them back in place before gathering up the stuff he'd need to finish his portion of the project. Mike had better work on his portion because if he doesn't, Cody's going to kick him in his nuts. The admittance to his feelings about Evan and the crap going on with Mike has put him in an anxious and slightly tense mood.

Once he had everything, he made his way out of the building and to his car. He wanted to get home and be with Evan more than anything. As he pulled out of the parking lot, his mind raced over what he could possibly make for dinner or if they should go out to eat. Evan liked Chili's; actually, he wasn't a particularly picky eater and he was always willing to try something new. His bravery and excitement were two qualities that made the smaller man appear incredibly carefree and youthful despite all that he went through and knows. Sometimes, it absolutely astounds Cody that Evan hasn't turned into an emotional wreck hell bent on destroying themselves by any means necessary. There have been a few cases that the news channels have gone over in which a neko committed suicide or harmed themselves severely just to escape their pain. Cody was just glad that Evan wasn't one of those cases.

The drive home was uneventful and Cody couldn't help but mull over the project that he was sharing with Mike. It wasn't as though it was a huge project that outside companies and investors were going to look at, but it was pretty big. If anything was amiss or wrong or…or _something_ like that, then Randy would have both of their hides. Randy may have been his friend and Mike's cousin but that didn't mean that he wouldn't give them hell if they didn't do their best on their joint project. As Cody pulled into his parking space, he decided that, if Mike didn't show him what he had accomplished so far tomorrow, then he'd tell him about it and then request to work on the project alone.

Grabbing his things, Cody got out of his car and made his way into the apartment building. Making it to his floor, he searched his bag for the key to his apartment and found that it was missing. Stopping in the hallway, Cody sighed heavily and set his stuff down on the floor. Kneeling down, he thoroughly searched through his bag for the key, hoping that it just felt off of the chain and was somewhere in the bottom of his bag. However, he had no such luck. It wasn't there. He checked through the things he kept in his bag and it wasn't hidden within any of the pages or anything like that.

"Great…just what I need. Oh well. If I knock and ask Evan to let me in, he will."

Returning his belongings to his bag, Cody picked up his stuff and continued to his apartment. He stopped when he got there, a look of puzzlement written across his face. That look quickly turned to concern and fear. The door was slightly opened. Someone aside from Evan was in the apartment. Dear God, no.

Cody opened the door and entered the apartment. Without a care in the world, he through his stuff down and looked around. No one was in the kitchen or the living room, but he could hear someone pounding on a door and speaking just down the hall.

"Come on, sugar. Open up! I just want to see your face."

Cody knew that voice. It was Mike. Mike was in his apartment. Thinking back now, he recalled that his bag had been toppled over; he just attributed it to it simply falling over. However, it all made sense now. For some unfathomable reason, Mike had gone through his bag and had taken the key to his apartment. And now, as he listened to what Mike had just said, it seemed to Cody that Mike had done so just to see what Evan looked like?

That made no sense whatsoever! Why in the hell would Mike want to see what Evan looked like? Why would he even care? Cody felt anger boil within his veins. Actually, he wasn't just angry; he was pissed. Livid. Furious. Whatever the word was, it matched perfectly to how he felt at that particular moment. He was fine putting up with Mike and his incessant infatuation, but he'd be God damned if he'd put up with Mike breaking into his apartment and harassing and or threatening his neko.

"What the hell are you doing in my apartment, Michael?" Cody stepped into the wall way and saw that Mike was pounding on the door to the master bedroom. Apparently, from what he could gather, Evan was holed up in their bedroom and had locked the door. Mike jumped when he heard Cody's cold, menacing voice and he stopped and turned to look at him.

"Look, Cody, this doesn't concern you." Cody's eyes glared at him and he stalked over towards him, getting into his personal space and not caring if it made Mike uncomfortable or not.

"Like hell this doesn't concern me! You stole the key to _my_ apartment. You broke into _my_ apartment and you're harassing _my_ neko! How the hell does that not concern me, you freak?" Mike swallowed and looked to the door before his blue eyes returned to Cody.

"I can explain."

"Well, you better start talking because I'm running low on patience and restraint. So hurry up." Mike sighed and stepped back away from him, holding his hands up as though he were surrendering.

"Not too long ago, I had a neko. He was…he is my everything. There was nothing that I wouldn't do for him…" Cody's glare didn't soften.

"Go on. I'm waiting."

"I have a girlfriend. We've been together for a while and she finally moved in with me. She tolerated Alex when before she moved in, but she demanded that I get rid of him once she had settled into my place. I didn't want to, but I didn't know what to do. There are…other circumstances that are preventing me from breaking up with her, so I had to get rid of Alex. I sold him to Pet Smart even though it killed me to do so." Cody vaguely remembered Aggie from the Pet Smart telling Evan that. But he had no idea that it was Mike…

"I still love him to death. And when I heard that you got a neko, I thought…well, I thought…"

"You thought that it was Alex." Cody finished Mike's sentence for him. The older man nodded and Cody sighed. He was still pissed at Mike for doing such a boneheaded thing, especially when he could have just asked Cody about it, but he understood.

"Well, it's not Alex, but if it helps, I'll show you Evan." Mike moved out of Cody's way as he approached the bedroom door. Very gently, Cody knocked on the door and spoke softly.

"Evan? It's me, Ev. Open up, please. I want you to meet Randy's completely insane and deranged cousin, Mike." Mike frowned at him, but Cody ignored it as he listened to Evan scurry about inside.

"I'm not insane and deranged."

"And I'm a Shakespearian actor. Now hush." Cody listened as Evan approached the door. He heard the lock change and, slowly, the door opened. Brown eyes met his own and Cody smiled softly at the neko.

"Hey, Evy. Are you okay?" Evan nodded.

"Y-yeah. I just thought..." Cody understood and his gaze softened.

"That he was a stranger breaking in?" Again, Evan nodded. Cody opened the door far enough to pull Evan out through it gently. He pulled the smaller man into his arms and hugged him with all of his might. Immediately, Evan cuddled against him, shaking slightly and taking deep, calming breaths.

"It's okay, sweetie. He's not going to hurt you." Placing a kiss on Evan's head, Cody rubbed his back and one of his hands went down to stroke the tail that was swishing about in an agitated manner. Cody turned them so that Mike could see Evan more properly, and when the older man saw him, his eyes widened, realizing his mistake. Looking down with an ashamed expression on his face, Mike shifted.

"I…I'm so sorry for upsetting you both. I just…I needed to know." Cody shrugged, even though he was still mad at him.

"It's okay. Just ask next time, okay?" Mike nodded, handed Cody his key back, and left the apartment.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I'm glad that you guys have liked the last chapter. Yes, Mike was Alex's previous owner, but who has him now? And what's going to happen between Cody and Evan? R&R. Enjoy!

**As I Breathe You In**

Cody sighed when Mike left. He was still holding onto Evan and he could still feel the neko trembling in his arms. After five minutes or so of trying to stop Evan from hyperventilating, Cody decided that he was going to call Randy later that night and tell him what the hell his crazy ass cousin did. Ushering Evan into the living room, he placed him on the couch before returning to the bedroom for a blanket. Grabbing one off of the bed, he returned to the living room and wrapped it around the smaller man. Evan held onto it for dear life and Cody could tell that he was still shaking a little bit.

At a loss as to what to do, Cody pulled Evan into a hug and petted his hair for a few minutes. Eventually, the neko stopped shivering and he calmed down, although his tail was still waving about and his ears were practically flattened against his dark hair. Cody placed a soft kiss on his forehead before he spoke up.

"I know this is a stupid question, but…are you okay? Mike didn't…he didn't hurt you or anything…did he?" Evan's doe brown eyes looked up at him and he shook his head before looking down.

"He didn't…do anything. He just…he startled me when he came in. I thought it was you, but when I saw him, I realized it wasn't. So I ran and hid in the bedroom." Cody nodded.

"But are you okay?" Evan looked back at him and Cody was relieved to see that he was relaxing.

"Yeah, I'm fine. He just scared me. I had no idea who he was."

"Well, don't worry. I'll be calling Randy later and telling him what happened." Evan's eyes widened.

"Will he get in trouble?" Cody shrugged and stood up.

"No idea. He might since he stole the key from me when we are still at work. But other than that, I think Randy will just talk to him. In that stern, creepy voice he can do that Mike doesn't like." Evan laughed softly and Cody smiled, happy to see that Evan was starting to look and act like himself again.

"Randy doesn't seem like a creepy person." Cody grinned.

"Oh, believe me. He can be pretty creepy when he wants to be. It's always funny to see him do it to Mike because Mike always flips out, which is hilarious." Evan laughed again and nodded. Cody stretched and cracked his back.

"Anyway…how about I make you some hot chocolate before I start on dinner? Would you like that?" Evan's eyes lit up and his tail started to undulate gently, clearly pleased by Cody's proposal.

"Yeah. I'd like that." Cody smiled and scratched behind Evan's ear. A soft purring sound resonated from the neko's chest and became a louder rumble as he continued.

"Well then, I guess I should get a start on that then."

Cody walked into the kitchen and started getting the hot chocolate ready. He would have offered coffee, but he knew that Evan didn't really care too much for coffee. Besides, he wanted to make something special, something just for Evan, and he hoped that the neko would like it. Ever since he was a teenager, Cody always made his own hot chocolate. It was rare for him to buy the store stuff and, in his opinion, homemade tasted better than store bought.

His heart was pounding a little bit and Cody knew that it was because of what had happened. Granted, things could have been worse…a lot worse, but still. He hoped that Evan really was okay and that he wasn't hiding how he really felt from Cody. If he was upset or more unnerved than he let on, Cody wanted to know so that he could help him. But he had a feeling that Evan was okay and that if anything else had happened, the neko would have told him. Mike may have been worried about Alex, but that didn't excuse him from frightening Evan. Oh, Randy was going to get a phone call right after dinner.

Speaking of dinner…

Cody let the milk warm up in the sauce pan and he turned around the stared at the frig as he thought about what he could make. He didn't know what exactly he was in the mood for and he really didn't care. Unless he had a craving for something specific, Cody would eat anything and wouldn't care. However, there was also Evan he had to consider and he wasn't about to make something without the neko's opinion in mind. Opening the freezer, Cody studied the contents within it. There were a lot of different things to choose from, so he would definitely be going with whatever Evan wanted to have.

"Hey, Evan?"

"Yeah?" Cody heard soft footsteps and within seconds the neko was standing beside him, peering over his shoulder into the freezer.

"What do you feel like having for dinner? I'm not in a picky mood tonight, so whatever you want is what we'll have." He turned to watch the neko as he nodded. Evan's brown eyes scanned the items in the freezer and Cody felt himself smiling softly as he watched the smaller man. It was kind of automatic, how he'd smile whenever he'd think about Evan or watch him.

"Is fettuccine alfredo okay?" Cody smiled and took out the boxes of the pasta.

"Sure thing. I have some chicken that I can cut up and mix in with that if you wanted." Evan smiled.

"That sounds great."

"Good."

…

Evan listened quietly as Cody prepared dinner. He heart was still pounding from before, but not as bad and it was starting to return to normal. When the door had opened, he had been so happy and excited. After much thought and careful planning, Evan had decided that he'd tell, or rather show, Cody how much he meant to him. A simple kiss was what Evan had been planning on giving his owner…his…his master.

Having been with a lot of owners, Evan thought that he'd never come to genuinely care for one. Act as though he did was no big deal; he had had years of practice at hiding how he truly felt. However, Cody had changed all of that. Cody was the first owner…the first person that Evan had come to care for and…and even love. It scared him, but he wanted to be closer to Cody. He desperately wanted that closeness, so he had decided to kiss him when he came home.

His plans had been blown out of the water when it was Mike and not Cody who had stepped through that door. Immediately, his instincts kicked in and Evan, perceiving Mike as a threat, jumped up from the couch and ran back to the bedroom. Locking the door, he crouched down by the bed and hoped and prayed that the strange man wouldn't be able to break down the door. Luckily, he didn't have to wait long before he heard Cody's voice and the taller man sounded angry. Beyond angry actually, but Evan wasn't afraid. Not anymore. And especially not of Cody because he knew that that anger wasn't directed towards him.

He had been ready to show Cody, to kiss him, but his plan had been destroyed. Now, as Evan sat on the couch and listened to Cody prepare dinner, his mind raced as he thought about what he was going to do. It had taken him a while to build up the courage and resolve to plan to kiss Cody, to tell and show him how he felt, but Mike had ruined that. Could Evan muster up his courage once again? In the same night, nonetheless? Although he was unsure, he was going to try. Before he could continue thinking things through, Cody came into the room and handed him a coffee mug.

"There ya go, Evy. I hope you like my hot chocolate. It's homemade instead of that store bought stuff." Evan took the mug from Cody and smiled at him.

"Thanks. It smells great." And it did. The hot chocolate Cody gave him smelled rich and creamy and way better than that add water stuff ever could. Cody shrugged and tried to act nonchalant, but Evan could tell that he was pleased.

"Dinner will be ready within a few minutes."

"Okay."

Evan watched as Cody returned to the kitchen. He listened as he pulled out plates for the two of them. Sniffing the hot chocolate, Evan smiled softly and took a small sip. His eyes lit up and he licked his lips; it really was a rich and creamy as it smelled. As he drank his hot chocolate, Evan made up his mind.

After dinner, he told himself. He'd go ahead with his plan after dinner. And, hopefully, it'd go well. If not…well, Evan didn't know what he'd do. All he _could_ do was hope that everything went well and that Cody wouldn't hate him for kissing him.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: There will be one last chapter after this. Maybe. Probably. And then, this story is finished. It's been pretty interesting and I'm glad that it was requested. I thank you all for your support and feedback. It means so much that y'all like this story so much. R&R. Enjoy!

**As I Breathe You In**

Evan was going to do it, he really was. His palms were sweating and his heart was pounding the whole time. The words were caught in his throat and about to come out…

And that was when Cody's cell rang.

Never before had Evan ever felt the urge to smash something. It was almost as though the universe was purposefully trying to keep him from doing what he wanted and needed to do. From his seat on the couch, Evan watched as Cody sighed, put his plate on the coffee table, and got up and answered the phone. As he watched Cody walk down the hall a way and eventually made his way into his…_their_ bedroom.

Sighing, Evan looked down at his plate and glared at it, his tail curling and uncurling in agitation. His courage was slipping. He needed to do this. He wanted to do this. He wanted Cody to know just how much he meant to him. More than anything, Evan wanted to cross the line that separated friends and lovers. That line was something that Evan wanted to see disappear. Evan was ready for it and he wanted it, craved it, and needed it above anything else.

Setting his plate on the coffee table, he took a deep breath and stood up. Now or never. It was now or never. If he didn't march into their bedroom and kiss Cody for all he was worth, then he never would. Evan knew that this was the only way. Waiting was no longer an option. His feelings couldn't wait; they refused to.

It was now or never.

…

When Cody's cell phone rang, he sighed inwardly. Evan and himself were having a nice, quiet dinner and he didn't want it to be interrupted. Getting up, he retrieved his cell and saw that it was Randy who was calling him. He answered it and made his way into the hallway.

"Randy. Hey, I'm glad that you called. I have something I need to tell you about."

"Don't you mean vent?" Cody laughed softly and shook his head. Randy had a way about him that allowed him to read a person even if they weren't in front of him.

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"You sound like you've got a stick up your ass. That and Mike told me about it." Cody sighed heavily and faint flicks of anger began to spark inside of him.

"Can you believe the shit he pulled? I mean… Randy, he stole my keys out of my bag while we were at work. Can you believe that? And then, he basically breaks into my apartment and scares the hell out of Evan! It's bullshit. I mean, I get why, but still, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it. If he tried that shit with me, I would break his arm. I have once already." Cody nodded, even though he knew Randy couldn't see it. Randy may have been nice and stuff, but he wasn't one to let big matters slide so easily, as Mike found out the hard way when Randy slammed his kitchen chair down on his arm hard enough to break it. Just thinking about made Cody shudder.

""I'm surprised that you didn't go after him. Mike told me that you were fairly calm, all things considered."

"Yeah…I guess I was. Maybe I was just in shock or something. But all I really cared about was Evan. Had Mike hurt him or touched him, he'd be in the hospital right now."

"I've no doubt about that in my mind. But you're still angry." Cody shrugged.

"I'm a lot of things right now. But Evan's been my primary concern throughout this whole ordeal. It took me awhile to calm him down enough. I think he's still shaken up. He's been pretty quiet."

"Well, Evan is a neko. Let's face it: neko's aren't often treated with dignity and respect like they should be. And the only time law enforcement gets involved is when the neko's owned by someone of 'good' character or if one turns up dead in the streets."

"I know that. It's all bullshit because there are laws-"

"Cody, the thing you need to understand about laws in general is that, when it comes down to it, they're just written orders on pieces of paper. Whether or not they have any effect is up to the people themselves. You know this as well as I."

"Yeah… Still. Mike would have been a dead man if Evan so much as lost a strand of hair off his head." Randy chuckled.

"I know he would have. Listen, I can't do anything to him for breaking and entering into your apartment aside from lecturing him. And believe you me, he's already gotten two of them. One from me and one from Ted."

"Ted gave him a lecture?"

"Well, he started the lecture before dinner and he's still going at it."

"Ouch."

"Yeah. Anyway, I can't do anything to him for the B and E. But I can give him hell for stealing your keys since it happened at work. His ass is going to be grounded for a while and he's not going to be having a lot of good days starting tomorrow." Cody nodded and released a soft breath. It was nice to know that Mike was getting the axe from Randy even though they were cousins and related by blood.

"Thanks, Randy. I was going to call you when I was finished with dinner to tell you what happened, but I guess I don't need to give you any more details."

"If I hear anymore about it, I'm going to shoot myself in the foot." Cody laughed and shook his head.

"Okay, okay. Thanks again, Randy. I appreciate you straightening out Mike for me."

"No problem. You were probably too worried about your neko to do anything to the dipshit. Just be sure to take care of both yourself and Evan, okay?"

"Alright. See ya."

"Bye."

Cody hung up and threw his phone on the bed before he sat down. With his elbows on his knees and his chin resting on his hands, Cody thought about everything that had happened when he came home from work. So much had happened and so much had been revealed that part of him couldn't grasp it in its entirety. The only constant that had been on his mind had been Evan. The neko…_his_ neko had been the first thing his mind would always return to. Mike could have done something to him, even though Cody didn't peg Mike to be that kind of guy. However, one could never really know another, can they?

So concern for Evan's safety and wellbeing were at the top of Cody's list when he first entered the apartment. Hell, making sure that Evan was okay was almost always the primary focus for Cody nowadays and he wouldn't change that for the world. Evan was special and he meant more to Cody than anyone else did. He'd do anything for the smaller man, but Cody wasn't sure if Evan felt the same way. Yes, they had gotten closer and were comfortable with each other, but it was hard to tell if the neko would return his feelings because he wanted to or because he thought he had to.

A relationship with Evan would be amazing and wonderful, but what if Evan wasn't okay with it? Would the neko hate him if Cody started anything? Or would he feel obligated to return Cody's affection? Cody may have been able to admit to himself that he had feelings for the neko, but he wouldn't be able to be with him if he felt that Evan owed him. As far as Cody was concerned, Evan didn't owe him anything. All Cody wanted was for Evan to be happy and if that meant that Evan didn't care for him beyond the realm of friendship, then so be it.

The door to the bedroom opened and Evan came in. Cody smiled up at him and was about to speak when Evan suddenly kissed him.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Here's the final chapter. XD Yeah, I knew from the last one that there'd be one more. I'm sorry for being mean to you all, but I can't help it. It's part of my genes. Thank you, all of you, for enjoying this story so much and for keeping up with it. Your support and encouragement will always remain the world to me. I hope that you continue to read all of my other stories as well. R&R. Enjoy!

**As I Breathe You In**

Time stopped.

Everything stood still.

There was no sound.

No sound except for the beating of two hearts.

No movements were made for a fraction of a second.

No thoughts were conjured.

Only silence.

Emptiness.

Blankness.

And then, Cody kissed back, moving his lips against Evan's in a gentle and hesitant manner, as though he were frightened of scaring his neko away. When it became apparent that Evan wasn't going anywhere, Cody's arms wrapped themselves around Evan's waist and pulled the smaller man onto his lap. A soft purring sound resonated from Evan's chest and washed over Cody like a warm tidal wave.

Evan's hands wrapped around his neck and their bodies were pressed together as the kiss came to an end. Neither wanted to separate, but the need for air became too overwhelming. Cody stared at Evan, still surprised and shocked by the neko's sudden kiss. Not because it was unwelcomed; far from it actually. But because Cody had just been thinking about something along those lines, hadn't he? It made him both extremely happy and incredibly sad. Hope bubbled up within him but he tried to keep it pressed down.

As his eyes roamed over Evan's face and took in the sight of the neko before him, he noticed that Evan was panting softly. His face was flushed red and he was chewing on his bottom lip. Bringing one hand up, Cody gentle cupped and caressed the smaller man's cheek and gave him a soft, sad smile. When Evan saw the smile, his ears perked up and he sat up straighter. Although Cody didn't want to break the mood, he did anyway, his mouth and throat feeling suddenly dry and hoarse.

"Evan… You…you know that you don't have to do this." Evan's do brown eyes blinked at him and Cody could see hints of confusion in his gaze.

"Don't have to do what?" Cody sighed softly and reached up to rub Evan's arms.

"You don't have to…you know…kiss me…or do anything else." Evan pulled away slightly and tilted his head to the side. Cody could definitely tell that the neko was confused and even a bit…unsure. How he hated seeing that look on his neko's face, but he wasn't going to force Evan into something he didn't want. If Evan wanted to do this, then it had to be because Evan genuinely wanted it and not because he thought that he owed Cody something.

"Cody…what are you talking about?"

"What I'm trying to say is…you don't owe me anything. If you want this, then I need to know that it's only because _you_ want it. Not because you feel like you need to do this as a favor or anything… If that makes any sense."

Cody looked at him, uncertain and nervous and wondered if he may have offended the neko. However, Evan didn't look offended or anything along those lines. Actually, he was shaking a little bit, but he had a determined look in his eyes. Before Cody could add anything or further explain himself, Evan leaned in and kissed him again. This time, the kiss was more passionate and sure and Cody couldn't help but respond to it. Kissing Evan felt so natural, so right, and his lips were so soft and sweet that it nearly broke Cody's heart when they parted. Brown eyes met his own and he saw the same determination in them that he had seen before, along with other emotions that Cody didn't want to name. Not yet. Just in case.

"Believe me…this is something that I want. Really, really badly. Master, please…_please_."

Cody looked at Evan, really looked at him. He realized, as he gazed into those brown eyes, that Evan was certain about this and more sure than Cody was. And although he had his doubts, he reached out and stroked Evan's ear. Leaning into the touch, the neko began to purr and he cuddled up to Cody. A soft smile worked its way onto Cody's face and he placed kisses on Evan's forehead, eyes, cheeks, and nose before placing a chaste one on his mouth.

"As long as you're sure, Ev…" The smaller man silenced him with another kiss and wrapped his arms around Cody's neck, bringing him closer.

"I'm sure."

Smiling lovingly at his precious neko, Cody lowered Evan down onto the bed and crawled on top of him, kissing him with everything he was worth.

…

That night changed everything. And yet, so much remained the same. There were no awkward moments. There were no words that went unsaid. When they first woke up and met each other's eyes, the only things passed between them were smiles and laughter followed by soft, loving kisses. Although they had moved forward in their relationship, it wasn't awkward or weird or anything of the sort. It was just…nice. Different, but nice and amazing and wonderful.

Ted and Randy were happy for them and Cody was glad to know that Mike had been reprimanded about stealing. Thankfully, he was just put on a sort of suspension, so Cody didn't have to carry the guilt of Mike being fired. It allowed Cody to actually sit down and think about what the new level to his relationship with Evan meant. There were so many things that it meant, but when it came right down to it, Cody was just happy that Evan was happy.

And that's all that really mattered to him.

...

….

…

..

.

Mike walked into the Pet Smart and took a deep breath. As his blue eyes scanned the store before him, he made a tentative step forward. He began his walk slow, not wanting to seem as though he was in a hurry, even though he definitely was. After all, he came here for a reason, a purpose, and he wanted to reach that purpose before Maryse called him and bothered him about where he was.

His pace quickened as he made his way through the aisles. He walked past the displays of cat foods, toys, and other needs. Then he passed the items that the store had for nekos. There wasn't a lot, but there was enough to tell Mike that the items were there more because they had to be. Considering the part of town the Pet Smart was in, Mike could understand that customers didn't like seeing nekos and supplies for them in the store. And he could understand why the store disliked having to have them. But he didn't care. He was there for a reason. A purpose.

Giving up on trying to appear calm and nonchalant, Mike made his way back to where the nekos were kept. The Pet Smart only ever had three to four nekos at once and Alex had been one of them since Mike had sold him to the store chain. Ever since that dreadful day, he's stopped by the store to talk to Alex for a few minutes before he had to head home. After all, if Maryse got suspicious, Mike's family would hear about it and he didn't need any more shit from them than he already got.

As he finally arrived at his destination, his heart sank. Alex's room was dark and empty. The neko wasn't in there. _His_ neko wasn't in there. Confused, scared, and worried, Mike looked around, trying to see if maybe Alex had been moved elsewhere. However, he couldn't find him. Aggie came out from where the kittens were held and made her way over to him.

"I'm sorry, dear. Alex has been bought." Mike's blue eyes turned towards her and he didn't even try to hide the pain and sadness that filled them. Aggie hugged him tightly and Mike returned her hug, needing someone to cling to. And Aggie had been more of a grandmother to him than his own grandmother had ever been. Alex had felt that way to.

"W-who…?"

"A nice gentleman named Alberto, I do believe. Don't worry. Alberto's background check came back clean. Alex has found a good, loving home." Mike nodded and pulled away from the hug. With one last look at Alex's old room, Mike turned back towards Aggie and nodded once more.

"T-thank you…thank you for….for everything."

Without another word, Mike walked away from Aggie and out of the store.

**The End**


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